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PREFACE. 


SOME  two  years  since,  while  visiting  friends  in  a  distant 
city,  they  proposed  that  I  should  take  notes  for  them  of 
Mr.  Beecher's  sermons.  Upon  my  return  I  commenced 
doing  so,  without  a  thought  of  their  going  beyond  the  little 
circle  for  whom  they  were  first  intended.  But,  as  page 
after  page  was  added  to  my  note.-boj^,  and  read  occasion- 
ally to  one  and  another,  it  began  to  be  suggested  that 
they  ought  not  to  be  confined  to  the  few,  but  should  be 
published  in  a  volume  and  given  to  the  many.  Thus  the 
present  book  came  into  being. 

With  rare  exceptions,  these  notes  have  been  taken  from 
the  Sabbath  sermons  and  Wednesday  evening  lectures, 
since  the  date  at  which  they  were  commenced.  Most  of 
them  have  never  been  written  till  now ;  for  Mr.  Beecher's 
best  thoughts  are  not  usually  those  which  are  beforehand 
committed  coolly  to  paper ;  they  are  those  which  spring 
from  the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  and  have  no  record 

(iii) 


iV  PREFACE. 

save  in  the  memory  of  his  hearers.  To  gather  up  and 
preserve  some  of  the  treasures  thus  lavishly  scattered,  has 
been  the  aim  of  this  volume.  It  is  not  given  to  the  world 
as  the  full-boughed  tree ;  but  only  as  some  of  the  leaves 
which  have  fallen  from  it  through  two  successive  seasons. 

To  Robert  D.  Benedict,  Esq.,  of  Brooklyn,  whose  own 
notes,  taken  during  the  same  time,  were  placed  at  my  dis* 
posal,  I  desire  to  express  my  cordial  thanks. 

EDNA  DEAN  PROCTOR. 
BEOOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  April,  1858. 


INDEX. 


Absent,  speaking  of  the,  142. 
Acorns,  growth  of,  32. 
Actions,  the  best,  often  unconscious,13. 
Adversity,  influence  of,  24  ;  —  likened 

to  winter  winds,  84. 
JSsthetical  faith,  254. 
Affection,  228 ;  —  parental,  195  ;  —  a 

tribute  to  God,  255. 
Affliction,  a  guide,  49. 
Afflictions,  the  uses  of,  109. 
African  race,  the,  166. 
Agassiz,  248. 
Aim,  how  to  take,  188. 
Alexandrian  library,  destruction  of,  46. 
"  All  right,"  280. 

Allston,  his  unfinished  pictures,  123. 
Almoners  of  God's  bounty,  33. 
Amazon,  the  stream  of  the,  138. 
Ambition,  138;  — when  laudable,  112; 

—  true,  256. 

American  people,  the,  nomadic,  272. 
Amusements,  under  the  devil's  care, 

185. 
Anger,  the,  of  truth  and  love,  156  ;  — 

likened  to  tinder,  157;  —  truth  spoken 

in,  193. 

Anglo-Saxon,  the  skin  of  the,  165. 
Animal  nature,  the,  to  be  subjected,  75. 
Apartments  of  the  soul,  18. 
Apothecary  shop,  an,  256. 
Appetite,  refinement  of,  142. 
Architect,  God  the,  227. 
Armor-scourers,  200. 

a* 


Arrow,  thought  is  the,  67  j  —  in  God's 
bow,  139. 

Arrows,  trials  compared  to,  195. 

Artillery  practice,  173. 

Artist,  at  work,  215  ;  — copying  a  pic- 
ture, 270. 

Asceticism,  184,236. 

Aspiration,  138 ;  —  not  incompatible 
with  contentment,  117. 

Association  of  ideas,  power  of,  69. 

Associations,  power  of,  141. 

Aster,  late  blossoming  of  the,  130. 

Atlas,  carrying  the  world,  43. 

Attainments,  not  for  ourselves,  41. 

Attempts,  accepted,  122. 

Babe,  the  mother's  anchor,  122. 

Babes  feed  on  the  mother's  bosom,  244 

Baggage,  cares  likened  to,  146. 

Bankruptcy,  when  it  is  blessed,  72. 

Banner,  unused,  235. 

Bather,  the  sea  receiving  a,  103. 

Battery,  public  sentiment  a,  192. 

Battle,  life  a,  200. 

Beauty,  the  lavishness  of,  243» 

Bed,  the,  143. 

Beethoven,  Psalm  73  likened  to  sym- 
phony of,  82. 

Beggar,  a  flower  from  a,  154. 

Belief,  sincerity  in,  not  enough,  1G. 

Bell,  tolling  of,  for  the  lost,  127;  — 
in  a  belfry,  257. 

Benevolence,  for  sake  of  praise,  81  ;— 
(v) 


VI 


INDEX. 


abroad  and  at  home,  204 ;  —  the  high- 
lands of,  235. 
Bible,  the,  injured  by  commentators,  3 ; 

—  a  garden  despoiled  by  beasts,  50  ; 

—  a  tield  of  battle,  50  ;  —  the  emotive 
truths  of.  585  — man's  duty  not  de- 
pendent on  the,  149;  — a  ruin,  193; 

—  the  poetry  and  beauty  of  the,  221  ; 

—  infidel   views  of  the,  225;  — its 
truths  like  gold  in  the  soil,  242;  — 
a  trellis,  2G2. 

Bible  Society,  the,  184. 

Bird,  mourning  over  the  bursting  shells 
of  its  eggs,  15. 

Birds,  thoughts  likened  to,50 ;  —  fright- 
ened from  a  tree,  57  ; — building  by 
rivers,  59 ;  —  fly  above  the  dust.  91 ; 

—  joys    seek    us    like,   103;  —  men 
likened  to,  161  ;  —  ready  to  migrate, 
177  ;  — feeding,  2G3  ;  — the  migration 
of,  278. 

Blessing  for  cursing,  274. 

Blindness,  278. 

Blossoms,  superfluous,  24;  —  not  the 
emblems  of  religion.  37. 

Boat,  illustration  from  rowing  a,  174. 

Boring  for  a  fountain,  298. 

Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  45. 

Botany,  the  author's  study  of,  272. 

Bow,  feeling  is  the,  67  ;  —  anger,  a, 
190. 

Boy,  with  ball  of  twine,  210. 

Brahmins,  the,  244. 

Brake  on  a  car  wheel,  62. 

Bread,  Christ  the,  125. 

Bread  of  God,  the,  for  which  we  pray, 
52. 

Bridge,  experience  a,  288. 

Bridging  a  stream,  45. 

Brokers,  exchange,  some  preachers 
only,  65. 

Buds,  dread  of  unfolding,  147;  —  the 
expansion  of,  196. 

Building  without  plan,  161. 

Buildings,  the  prosperity  of  men  com- 
pared to  the  rearing  of,  113. 

Business,  religion  in,  209,  286. 

Buoys  in  our  course,  55. 

Butterfly,  a,  179. 

«  But  then,"  1C5. 


Cable,  a  fifty  foot,  237. 

Caldron,  the  earth  a,  150. 

California,  an  emigrant  to,  293. 

Calvinism,  its  influences,  40. 

Camelia,  blooming  of  a,  295. 

Canary  bird,  the  singing  of  a,  232. 

Candle  burning,  a  nervous  man  com- 
pared to  a,  191. 

Cares,  earthly,  how  the  heart  may  fly 
above,  91. 

Cathedral,  a,  more  than  cold  stone,  12. 

Cathedrals,  forest,  102  ;  —  the  spires 
unfinished,  162. 

Cave  of  Kentucky,  280. 

Cellar,  a  potato  growing  in  a,  292. 
j  Cerberus,  in  America,  184. 

Chance,  nothing  happens  by,  17. 

Changes,  never  foretold  or  anticipated, 
30. 

Character,  likened  to  porcelain,  175 ;  — 
compared  to  a  river,  291. 

Charity,  not  in  giving  crumbs,  63;  — 
to  be  bestowed  in  secret, 82  ;  —  grudg- 
ing, 251. 

Cheerfulness,  288. 

Che'gtnuts,  some  Christians  like,  212. 

Child,  plucking  dewy  grass  and  flow- 
ers, 35;  —  choking  with  passion,  33  ; 

—  preparation  for  the  care  of  a,  247  ; 

—  in  bed,  on  a  stormy  night,  297. 
Children,    dying    young,   like    spring 

bulbs,  31 ;  —  as  spools,  59  ;  —  reare  1 
under  glass,  59  ;  —  ruined  by  parental 
t  indulgence,  72  ;  —  their  birth,  educa- 
tion, and  influence  on  their  parents, 
119;— the  loss  of,  122;— grow  to 
the  likeness  of  parents,  136  ;  —  fright- 
ened in  sleep,  170;  —  death  of,  187; 

—  our  love   to,   199  ;  —  the   way   to 
bring  up,  218  ;  —  government  of,  262. 

Chimneys,  smoky,  205. 

China,  war  in,  245. 

Cholera,  not  io  be  cured  by  studying 
theories,  2. 

Chords,  sweeter  after  discords,  61. 

Christ,  lio w  to  get  a  correct  view  of, 
25  ;  —  regret  for  the  loss  of  any  of  the 
words  of,46  ;  —  the  foundation,  59  ;  — 
the  helmsman,  65  ;  —  on  earth  lonccd 
for,  76  ;  —  incarnation  of,  77  ;  —  as- 


INDEX. 


Vll 


tension  of,  77;— the  way,  93  ;  —  \ 
rising  over  the  sea  of  our  sinfulness,  ' 
118; — symbolized  in  the  various  I 
parts  of  the  house,  125;  —  all  are  ' 
kinsmen  through, 133  ;  —  unpatriotic,  ; 
136  ;  —  prayer  to,  for  the  world,  151 ; 

—  what  gifts  are  acceptable  to,  155  ; 

—  not  the  pauper,185  ;  —  the  affection  • 
of,  195  ;  —  the  Shepherd,  197;  — a  tal- 
isman, 207;  —  his  love  for  us,  208  ; —  , 
his  life  not  an  official  mission,  209  ; 

—  and  the  Syro-Pho3nician  woman, 
211;  —  his  suffering  vicarious,  221; 

—  the  absolute  one,  248  ;  —  the  foun- 
tain, 248  ;  —  prayers   to,  249  ;  —  is 
God,  249  ;  — the  body  of,  263. 

Christian,  the,  his  heart,  like  a  lake, 
73 ;  —  a  two-foot,  90  ;  —  the  voices 
of  nature  to  the,  179  ;  —  all  good  be- 
longs to  the,  184  ;  —  a,  in  endeavor, 
216  ;  —  where  a  man  can  be  a,  220  ; 

—  the  joyful  experience  of  the,  229 ; 

—  a  luminous,  288  ;  —  under  bondage 
to  fear,  296  ;  —  like  a  man  in  a  cas- 
tle on  a  stormy  night,  297. 

Christian  character,  likened  to  a  wain 
laden  with  sheaves,  13;—  compared 
to  full  fruit  trees,  13. 

Christian  joy,  like  full  harmony,  131. 

Christian  life,  sometimes  late  in  flow- 
ering, 130  ;  —  always  the  same,  142  ; 

—  should  be  always  tropical,  188  ; 

—  a  new  river,  260  ;  — evidences  of 
a,  269. 

Christian  merchant,  the,  219. 

Christian  truth,  its  power  in  unity,  53. 

Christians, like  railroad  station  houses, 
22;  — many-colored,    54;— likened 
to    birds    on    the   tree   tops,   57;  — 
known  by  the  tokens  of  divine  inter- 
course, 71  ;  —  their  virtues,  123  ;  — 
without  distinction  of  sect,  150  ;  — 
the    obligations    upon,    157  ;  —  like 
chestnuts,  212;  — not  all  within  the  ; 
church.    2'5  ;  —  what    the    honest  j 
prayers  of  some  would   be,  251; —  j 
like    the    children   of  missionaries,  ; 
265  ;  — like  flowers  at  morning,  267  ;  ! 
ignorant  of  their  real  nature,  273  ;  — 
should  acknowledge  Christ,  275 j—  I 


fearful,  like  blanched  potato  vines, 
292  ;  —  as  emigrants,  293  ;  —  likened 
to  pilot  boats,  293. 

Christianity  may  exist  in  heresy,  25; 
helpful,  31;  — its  vertical  power, 
159;—  to  make  men  robust,  202;  — 
its  care  for  the  weak,  241 ;  —  the 
might  of  the  world  on  the  side  of, 
944. 

Church,  reason  for  joining  the,  19  ;  — 
the  proper  atmosphere  of,  22 ;—  the, 
God's  window,  32  ;  —  the,  a  court 
house,  46 ;  —  two  classes  of  people  in 
the,  47  ;  —  led  by  God  from  one  ism 
to  another,  57  ;  — danger  of  absolute 
unity  of  belief  in  a,  167  ;  —  fear  to  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  the,  173  ;  —  faithless, 
188  ;  —  heresy  in  the,  249  ;  —  reasons 
for  joining  a,  259 ;  —  a  nursery,  259 ; 

—  a  hospital,  259;  —  a    lighthouse, 
277  ;  —  duty  of  a  man  in  a,  288. 

Church  and  state  in  New  England,  42. 
Churches  should  not  inspire  awe,  20  ; 

—  infidelity  of,  42  ;  —  their  enterprise 
in  youth,  60  ;  —  like  insurance  com- 
panies,- 200. 

"  Cineraria,"  273. 

Cisterns,  artificial,  153. 

Citizen,  the,  cannot  renounce  his  duty 
to  the  public,  64;  —  the  pabulum  of 
the  state,  173. 

Citizens,  children  make  men  better, 
119. 

Clearing-up  shower,  the,  91. 

Clock,  the  pendulum  necessary  to  the 
movement  of,  22  ;  —  in  a  belfry,  sen- 
timental religion  likened  to,  287. 

Clocks,  to  be  wound  up,  129. 

Coia  of  Christ's  kingdom,  the,  25. 

Colleges,  driven  westward,  272. 

"  Come,  ye  blessed,"  294. 

Commentators,  3  ;  —  likened  to  in- 
sects, 210. 

Communion,  invitation  to,  149  ;  —  a 
wedding,  202  ;  — table,  birds  likened 
to  Christian  at  the,  263. 

Compensation,  in  the  blending  of  joy 
and  sorrow,  222. 

Competence,  a  five-etory,  2. 

Conceited  men,  245. 


Vlll 


INDEX. 


Confession  of  sins,  23  ;  —  of  faults,  38  ; 

—  disarms  reproof,  44. 

Congregational  singing,  29,  129. 

Congregationalism  a  propagator  of  lib- 
erty, 39  ;  —  in  New  England  in  early 
times,  42. 

Connecticut  valley,  mists  in  the,  140. 

Conscience,  294 ;  —  a  sword,  29  5  — 
pettifogging  in  the  court  of,  36; — 
without  perspective,  197  ;  —  interest 
of  merchants  in,  106  j—  the  moaning 
of,  251. 

Consecration  to  God,  223. 

Conservative  young  men,  221. 

Content,  true  meaning  of,  113;  — not 
incompatible  with  aspiration,  116  ; 

—  rare,  165. 

Conversion,  illustrated  by  a  clock,  22  ; 

—  not  necessarily  terrible,  183  ;  —  a 
selfish,  267. 

Conviction  of  sin,  151. 

Convictions,   speaking    according   to, 

138. 

Corner  stone,  Christ  the,  125. 
Cradle,  the,  122. 
Cream,  to  pray,  64. 
Creation,  from  the  fulness    of  God's 

thought,  102;  — of  worlds,  228. 
Creditor,  a  snarling,  206. 
Creed,  likened  to  Jacob's  ladder,  173. 
Creeds,  the  war  of,  217. 
Cricket  overturned  by  a  plough,  159. 
Crises,  moral,  98  ;  —  commercial,  208. 
Critics  likened  to  scavengers,  53. 
•  Croton  water  pressing  on  every  faucet, 

105. 

Cryptogamous,  our  heart  life,  120. 
Cultivation,  evils  of  excessive,  218. 
Cunning  overreaches  itself,  52. 
Curses,    often    only    blessings    grown 

mouldy,  25;  —  men  love  to    nurse 

their,  145. 
Cynics  in  morals,  53. 

Peath  of  children,  31  ;  —  of  relations, 
consolation  for  the,  32  ;  —  a  new 
life,  37  ;  —  how  God  bridges  the 
stream  of,  45; — likened  to  a  bud 
bursting  into  flower,  59;  — to  the 
troubled  Christian  is  the  clear- 


ing-up  shower,  91  ;  — the  beginning 
of  our  vacation,  96  ;  —  the  dropping 
of  the  flower,  167  ;  —  welcome,  176  ; 
—  a  cheerful  view  of,  189  ;  —  like  the 
fall  of  the  leaf,  201  ;  —  joy  in  view 
of,  213  ;  contemplation  of,  235  ;  —  a 
rest,  257  ;  —  likened  to  launching  a 
ship,  262  ;  —  likened  to  the  migration 
of  birds,  278. 

December,  the  short  day  in,  261. 

Defeat,  a  school,  35  ;— sometimes,  as 
sweet  as  victory,  108. 

Destroyers,  certain  animals  appointed 
as,  53. 

Detraction,  143. 

Development,  to  stop,  160. 

Dew  upon  flowers,  177. 

Difficulties,  God's  teachers,  227. 

"  Dim  religious  light,"  47. 

Discords  belong  only  to  this  life,  19  ;  — 
the  use  of,  61. 

Dissimulation,  139. 

Doctrinal  preaching,  185. 

Doctrine,  the  skin  of  truth,  97 ;  — un- 
welcome, 193  ;  —  perversions  of,  205. 

Drawing  lessons,  245. 

Dulness,  sobriety  is  not,  182. 

Duty,  universal,  157  ;  — to  the  present, 
181. 

Duties  of  life  likened  to  the  swinging 
of  a  pendulum,  23. 

Dwarf  oak,  a  puny  Christian  likened 
to  a,  89. 

Eclipses,  our  hearts  in,  123. 

Egg,  development  from  the,  255. 

Election,  the  doctrine  of,  174. 

Elect,  the,  241. 

Emotion,  influence  of,  on  the  intel- 
lect, 86. 

Emphasis,  197. 

Enemy,  to  love  an,  274. 

Engineer  of  a  train,  276. 

Engine,  marine,  reversal  of,  by  a  child, 
16. 

Enterprises,  the  growth  -  .Ikened  to 
plants,  48. 

Eternal,  what  things  a;--,  85  5 — pun- 
ishment, 196. 

Etna,  the  sides  of,  134. 


INDEX. 


Evaporation,  the  uses  of,  226. 

Events  no? discordant,  193. 

Evidences,  Christian,  269. 

Excellence,  relative,  161 ;—  not  nega- 
tive, 182. 

Exchange,  the,  165. 

Excitement,  moral,  87;— the  soul's 
hours  of,  88. 

Exclusiveness,  136,  199,  218. 

Excuses,  151. 

Exhausted  receiver,  an,  141. 

Experience  not  uniform,  110. 

Experiences,  each  man  thinks  his  own 
peculiar,  5. 

Exploring  party,  87. 

Eyes,  sect  of,  53. 

Faces,  dark,  not  an  evidence  of  grace, 
120. 

Faculties,  the,  compared  to  windows 
in  a  village  at  night,  27  ; —  are  not 
furniture,  66  ;  —  balance  of  the,  179  ; 

—  harmony  of  the,  279. 

Failure  of  men  in  large  business,  92. 

Fairy  structures,  101. 

Faith, 253, 299;  — compared  with  love, 
1  ;  —  a  development  of  the  inner  fac- 
ulties, 121  ;  —  a  spire,  256  ;  —  in 
Christ,  255. 

Family,  the  first  of  churches,  180;  — 
government  of  the,  262. 

"  Father,  our,"  132. 

Faults,  to  look  for,  143  ;  —  to  tell  friends 
of,  146. 

Fear  of  God,  47  ;  — as  a  motive,  68  ;  — 
secretes  acids,  80  ;  —  the  influence 
of,  236. 

Feeling  is  tropical,  27  ;  — a  torch,  55  ; 

—  the  bow,  67; — without    speech, 
143  ;  — deeper  than  thought,  229. 

F?(?linjrs,  compared  to  a  tree  full  of 
birds,  65;  — like  a  river,  66;  — ex- 
alted, not  for  daily  life,  148  ;—  com- 
pared to  play  of  light  and  shade,  21& 

Feminine  traits,  218. 

Ferry,  swimming  the,  284. 

Field  of  battle,  sight  of  a,  50. 

Filial  feeling  towards  God,  47. 

Firefly,  a,  is  not  a  star,  285. 

fishing,  easiest  with  a  short  line,  104. 


Flowers,  234  ;  — supposition  of  their 
appearance  before  God,  111 ;  —  droop 
when  filled  with  dew,  130  ;  —  in  best 
clothes  daily,  142;  —  why  they  re- 
ceive the. dew,  177  ;  —  dewdrops  on, 
180;  —  what  they  say  to  the  night 
and  to  the  morning,  2G6. 

Foreign  missions,  204. 

Forgiveness,  158;  —  like  a  cancelled 
note,  108  ;  —  a  hedgehog  kind  of,  128. 

Foreordinations,  17. 

Forest,  the  tumult  of  a,  represented  in 
Beethoven's  symphonies,  82 ;  —  wind 
in  the,  129;  — men  likened  tc  the 
trees  of  a,  168;— play  of  light  and 
shade  in  a,  216. 

Foundation,  Christ  the,  125. 

Foundations,  care  for  the,  203. 

Foundery,  casting  metal  at  a,  87. 

Fountain,  boring  for  a,  298. 

Freedom,  helping  a  slave  to  gain,  128. 

Frescoed  wall,  the,  88. 

Freshets  likened  to  revivals,  34,  219. 

Friend,  to  tell  his  faults  to  a,  146. 

Frost,  flowers  cut  by  a  single,  139. 

Fruit,  green,  held  tightly  by  the  stem, 
71 ;  —  bearing,  the  test  of  religion, 
270. 

Fruits,  men  should  have  their  boughs 
full  of,  13. 

Future,  the,  likened  to  kaleidoscopic 
figures,  12;  —  the  apprehensions  of 
the,  171 ;  —  how  to  live  for,  188. 

Garden,  the  heart  likened  to  a,  32  ;  — 
despoiled    by    beasts,   50;— of   the. 
Lord,  51 ;  —  beauty  of  the  word,  G2 ; 
—  how  it  gets  a  fountain,  293. 
Gardens,  men  likened  to,  199. 
Generation,  each,  has  its  own  lisht,  170 
!  Generosity,  fear  of,  by  the  selfish,  63. 
!  Genius  should  not  minister  to  self,  23, 
I  Gift,  ennobled  by  the  giver,  155. 
Glacier,  flower  under  a,  127. 
God,  symbolized  in  nature,  4  ;  —  coin 
pared  to    the    mother    rocking    thr 
child,  5;  —  the  noblest  master  in  th 
arts,  14;  — the  bounty  of,  21;  —  ni 
supremely  selfish,  26  ;  —  likened  W 
the  sun,  28  ;  —  gives  freely,  30  ;  - 


INDEX. 


pardons  like  a  mother,  31  ;  —  em- 
braces the  names  of  father,  moth- 
er, &.C.,  32; —  .the  sustainer,  35;  — 
multitudinous,  36  ;  —  represented 
under  the  form  of  a  mountain,  47  ; 

—  ploughs    for   us    to  plant,   54; — 
the  smith,  man  the  iron,  56;  —  may 
be  approached  in  any  sincere  way, 
79;  —  may  be  symbolized  under  dif- 
ferent forms,  79  ;  —  not  to  be  with- 
etood,  95;  —  the  countless    mercies 
of,  97;  —  creation  the  relief  of  his 
fulness,  102;  —  receives  the  soul  as 

k  the  sea  the  bather,  103;  — sin  is  a 
personal  offence  against,  103;  —  his 
care  for  all  his  work,  118;  —  the 
eternal  now,  123  ;  —  not  in  a  hurry, 
134; — Christians  to  grow  into  the 
lineaments  of,  136  ;  —  when  terrible, 
155;  —  comes  in  different  garments, 
169;  — how  manifest  to  us,  176;  — 
high  views  of,  190  ;  —  all  things  obe- 
dient to,  198 ;  —  a  parent,  199  ;  —  the 
boundless  mercy  of,  229  ;  —  "  able  to 
do  abundantly,"  231; — infinite  in 
feeling,  231;— not  vindictive,  232  ; 

—  a  God  of  love,  233  ; — only  can 
satisfy  with  love,  239  ;  —  munificent, 
243  ;  —  the  draught  master,  246 ;  — 
affection  tc  wards,  255;  — the    gifts 
of,  255  ;  —  hia  agency  in  our  troubles, 
261 ;  —  the  soul's  need  of,  284  ;  —  his 
law  escaped  out  of  Sunday,  286. 

Gold,  truth  like,  242. 

Goodness  of  God  likened  to  a  levee, 
lfc'3. 

Good  will,  the  mother  of  the  graces, 
274. 

Gospel  to  be  preached  first  at  home,  68. 

Gospels,  the,  137. 

Grace,  the  heart  of  the  flower,  70  ;  — 
designed  to  develop  man's  nature, 
112  ;  —  to  carry  men  back  to  nature, 
201. 

Graces  of  slow  growth,  32 ;  —  like 
Croton  water,  105  ;  —  growth  of, 
176  ;  —  not  sold  as  in  an  apothecary 
shop,  256  ;  —  likened  to  slides  of  a 
magic  lantern,  295  ;  —  how  wrought 
yi  the  heart,  298. 


Granary,  a,  162. 

Granite,  hewing  a  block  of,  100. 

Grape  vine  in  a  flower  pot,  142. 

"  Grass  of  the  field,"  God's  care  for, 

the,  118. 

Grasses,  virtues  like,  132. 
Great  men,  177. 
Greatness,  the  way  to,  38  ;  —  lies   in 

the  right  using  of  strength,  52. 
Growth,  the  mode  of,  171. 
Gulls,  the  flight  of,  230. 
Gun,  an  ill-loaded,  294. 

Happiness  not  the  chief  end,  154,  175. 

Hatred  persistent  and  universal,  273. 

Heart,  the,  compared  to  a  dark  cell, 
36 ;  —  gifts  of  the,  76 ;  —  like  a  trop- 
ical plant,  140;  —  likened  to  a  bud, 
147  ;  —  its  words  of  thanksgiving, 
180  ;  —  the  beating  of  a,  181  ;  —  sub- 
ject to  freshets,  194  ;  —  the  yearning 
of  the,  282  ;  —  knowledge,  224. 

Hearts,  the  intents  of,  likened  to 
flowers,  120  ;  —  like  buds,  197 ;  —  like 
instruments,  207. 

Heathenism,  its  respect  for  classes, 
240 ;  —  likened  to  an  undisturbed 
forest,  244  ;  —  the  world  hunting 
down,  245. 

Heaven,  200,  257 ;  —  the  realization  of 
hope,  101;  —  seen  as  a  landscape 
from  a  prison,  247  ;  —  the  discoveries 
made  in,  266;  — the  soul's  welcome 
to,  294  ;  —  sweet  to  the  fearful  Chris- 
tian, 296. 

Hedgehog  forgiveness,  128. 

Helping  word,  a,  29. 

Heresies,  205. 

Heresy,  hunters  of,  53  ;  —  the  greatest, 
249. 

Heroism,  reasons  for,  207. 

Hinderances  to  grace,  21. 

History  of  the  world  is  all  suffering, 
44  ;  —  records  only  success,  90. 

Hoarding,  the  impolicy  of,  163. 

Holy  Spirit,  aid  of  the,  173. 

Home,  piety  at,  67  ;  —  not  in  a  hotel, 
142  ;—  the  centre  of  joy,  288. 

Hope,  299;  —  compared  with  love,  1; 
—  likened  to  a  lantern,  28; — evan- 


INDEX. 


XI 


escent,  40 ;  —  an  unfledged  bird,  116  ; 

—  excess  of,  131 ;  —  base  uses  of,  268. 
Horticulture,  the  author's  experience 

in,  272. 
Hospital,  the  world  likened  to  a,  174 ; 

—  illustration  from  a,  194. 
Hotel,  life  in  a,  142. 
Hothouse  plants,  59. 

Hounds  follow  the  scent  while  the 
dew  is  on,  49. 

Household,  a  traitor  to  the,  45. 

House  of  God,  the,  should  be  cheer- 
ful, 46. 

House  on  the  hill-top  of  cheerfulness, 
288. 

Human  face,  drawing  the,  246. 

Humboldt,  248. 

Humboldt  Glacier,  the,  127. 

Humiliations  work  out  our  joys,  58. 

Hymn  warbled  by  a  child,  106. 

Hymns,  written  in  moments  of  rap- 
ture, 27  ; —  and  prayers,  167. 

Hypocrites,  16. 

Ideal,  the,  outlasts  the  real,  85. 

Ill  humor,  205. 

Imagination,  the  true  office  of  the,  96. 

Improvements  make  new  demands,  86. 

India,  war  in,  245. 

Infidelity  of  rich  churches,  42. 

Infidel  philosophers,  their  views  of  the 

Bible,  225. 

Insects,  the  annoyance  of,  209. 
Intellect  kindled   by  emotion,  87;  — 

the  right  use  of,  114. 
Institutions,    old,  compared    to    merf 

made  of  the  dust  of  mummies,  5 ; — 

not    permanent,    62  ;  —  man    more 

than,  136,204. 

Invisible  things,  the  proof  of,  252. 
"  Ism,"  definition  of,  57. 
Isthmus,  how  a  route  is  found  across 

the,  87. 

Jacob,  wrestling  with  God,  80. 
Jacob's  ladder,  173. 
Japonica,  the,  296. 
Jeremiah,  his  immortality,  178. 
Joy,   like  birds,   103;— a  duty,   120, 
162;  — likened  to  music,  131. 


Joys,  often  the  shadows  of  sorrows, 

21 ;  —  the  hoarding  of,  162. 
Justice,  to  love,  167. 

Kane,  Dr.,  127. 

Kingdom  of  God  within,  200. 

Knowledge  not  from  books,  224. 

Landslides  infrequent,  42. 

Lantern,  simile  d/awn  from  a,  28. 

Latin,  how  learned,  260. 

Law,  every  where  resting  upon  man, 
57;  —  sin  not  merely  the  breaking 
of,  103  ;  —  a  rock  smitten  by  Christ, 
for  a  river  of  love,  225 ;  —  of  rewards 
and  punishments,  289. 

Laws,  when  not  obligatory, 54  ;— like 
clocks,  to  be  wound  up,  129  ;  —  with- 
out public  sentiment,  141;  —  when 
valuable,  206 ;  —  obsolete,  likengd  to 
mummies,  239. 

Laying  on  hands,  26. 

Leaves,  growth  of,  likened  to  the 
Christian  life,  10 ;  — talk  of  the,  147  j 
—  fall  of  the,  201. 

Ledger,  not  the  evidence  of  wealth,  77. 

Lent,  the  passions  never  keep,  18. 

Lettuce,  chance  sown,  the  best,  13. 

Liberty,  the  chariot  of,28 ;  —  its  defend- 
ers and  propagators,  39 ;  —  Calvinism 
an  aid  to,  41 ;—  is  the  soul's  right  to 
breathe,  70  ;  —  and  equality,  169. 

Lie,  a,  needs  truth  for  a  handle,  20. 

Liebig,  248. 

Life,  123  ;  —  its  emotions  and  experi- 
ences the  same  in  all  ages,  6  ;  —  com- 
pared to  a  loom,  12;  — a  good,  like 
a  garden,  32;  —  its  value  and  uses, 
33;  —  to  be  loved,  41;  —  its  proper 
end,  42 ;  —  as  a  river,  51 ;  —  as  a 
voyage,  51 ; —  compared  to  a  man 
carrying  a  torch,  55;  — compared  to 
the  making  of  a  harp,  74  ;  — unsatis, 
factory  — good  always  in  prospect, 
74;  —  begins  in  the  material.  94:— ' 
a  web  in  the  loom  of  time,  124;— , 
the  stream  of,  146;  —  not  left  to  our 
choice,  154  ;  —  composed  of  single 
feelings  and  actions, 158  ;  —  a  voyage, 
164  ;  —  present  and  future,  188  j  — . 


Xll 


INDEX. 


the  end  of,  192  ;  —  a  frescoed  cham- 
ber, 197  ;  —  a  battle,  200  ;  — its  min- 
gled joy  and  sorrow,  222 ;  —  a  build- 
ing, 227  ;  —  how  to  look  at,  227  ;  — 
the  religious,  258 ;  —  a  field,  292. 

Life's  ocean,  buoys  to  be  placed  in,  55. 

Life-preservers,  268. 

Light,  in  our  windows  for  travellers, 
41 ;—  to  be  reflected,  121. 

Lights,  in  windows,  the  faculties  li- 
kened to,  27  ;  —  in  a  village,  97. 

Lighthouse,  the  intellect  a,  114; — 
figure  drawn  from  a,  163  ;  —  the 
church  a,  277. 

Lilies,  in  a  New  England  lake,  73. 

Limb,  a  broken,  156. 

Line,  to  fish  with  a  short,  104. 

Locket  worn  by  a  soldier,  207. 

Log,  saturated,  sinks  in  water,  237. 

Logs  floating  down  the  Penobscot,  234. 

Loom,  breaking  a  thread  in  the,  14. 

Loom  of  life,  the,  never  stops,  12. 

Loom  of  time,  the,  124. 

Longing  for  Christ,  249. 

Lord's  Prayer,  the,  132. 

Love,  299  ;  —  chief  of  the  graces,  1  ;  — 
compared  to  a  cathedral  tower,  1  ;  — 
earthly,  34;  — is  God's  loaf,  52;  — 
like  a  seed  from  the  tropics,  72 ;  — 
in  the  heart,  94 ;  —  influence  of,  on 
the  faculties,  105  ;  — ownership,  149  ; 
—  the  central  element,  163.;  —  what 
is,  216  ;  —  the  power  to  draw  men  to 
God,  233;  —  in  few  instances  com- 
plete, 239  ;  — P  the  measure  of  Chris- 
tian life,  241 ;  —  compared  to  a  tide, 
242  ;  —  more  than  justice,  294. 

Love  of  God,  the,  164. 

Luther,  greatest  since  his  death,  178. 

Luxuries,  the  love  of,  179. 

"  Made,"  when  a  man  is,  33. 
Madrepores,   destruction  of  piles  by, 

11. 

Magnet,  figure  from  the  use  of  a,  116. 
Maine,  the  lumberers  in,  234. 
Majority,  one  man  in  the  right,  is  in 

the.  36. 
Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  280;  — 

a  child  brought  up  in  the,  213. 


Man,  a  sword,  21 ;  — should  be  like  an 
orange  tree,  39  ;  —  the  iron,  God  the 
smith,  56  ;  —  surrounded  by  the 
pressure  of  responsibility,  57  ;  — 
needs  to  go  higher,  when  a,  66;  — 
developed  by  overcoming  evils,  68 ;' 

—  wrestling  with  fate,  80  ;  —  feeble 
in  God's  hands,  95;  — God's   crea- 
tion,  137;  — his   first  start,   143;— 
his  obligation  not  dependent  on  the 
Bible,  149; — preventing  the  devel- 
opment of,  160  ;  —  likened  to  a  ship, 
168 ;  —  a  name  of  power,  168 ;  —  his 
God-given  right  of  liberty,  168;  — 
evidence  of  the  wickedness  of,  190 ; 

—  his  escape  from  winter,  199;  — 
needs  a  rough  schoolmaster,  226;  — 
preparation  of  the  world  for,  247  ;  — 
wrecked  like  a  ship,  284. 

Manliness,  the  proper  aim,  42. 

Manly  character,  218. 

Manna,  the  fall  of,  116. 

"  Marie  Louise,"  the,  272. 

Marriage,  solemnity  of,  180. 

Marrow  from  his  own  bones,  the  stu- 
dent burns  at  night,  52. 

Materialist,  the,  252. 

Meddler,  religion  a,  104, 

Meekness,  158. 

Memnon,  the  music  of,  258. 

Memory  gleans,  but  renews  not,  40. 

Men,  compared  to  vases,  15;  —  com- 
pared to  trees,  37  ;  —  most  vigilant, 
where  there  is  least  need,  G3  ;  —  are, 
tuned  like  violins,  66;  —  brothers  at 
the  judgment,  69  ;  —  carry  signs  of 
their  life  about  them,  71 ;  —  remem- 
bered by  their  ideas,  85;  —  never 
stationary,  86;  —  in  large  business, 
likened  to  mountains,  92  ;  —  in  large 
business  likened  to  water-wheels, 
92;  —  in  the  tide  of  vice  powerless, 
100;  —  hewn  like  granite,  100;  — 
likened  to  different  classes  of  flow- 
ers, 111;  —  rise  upon  their  perform- 
ances, 113  ;  —  rich  and  powerful,  the 
duty  of,  135  ;  —  likened  to  cathedrals, 
162; — various  like  trees,  168  ;  —  like 
vines, 170  ;  —  distinctions  amonsr,181; 

—  likened  to  fenced  gardens,  199;  — 


INDEX. 


Xlll 


mere    than    institutions,    204;  — in 

prosperity  like    wheat    with  smut, 

213  ; —  drilled  as  in  an  army,  246;  — 

reap  what  they  have  sown,  291. 
Merchant,  a  Christian,  219  ;  — the  dif- 

ference^between  a  petty  trader  and 

a,  253. 

Merchants,  their  interest  in  public  con- 
science, 106. 
Mercy  of  God,  97. 

Micha3l  Angelo,  first  sketches  of,  14. 
Military  drill,  246. 
Millennium,  the  world  preparing  for, 

135. 
Minds,  likened  to  the  Mammoth  Cave, 

280. 

Ministers  likened  to  surgeons,  156. 
Mint,  a  true  preacher  is  God's,  65. 
Mirthfulness,  the  use  of,  131. 
Missionaries,  the  children  of,  265. 
Missions,  the  power  of,  67. 
Mississippi  River,  the,  291. 
Mists  rising  from  a  valley,  140. 
Moral  nature,  cultivation  of  the,  278. 
Moralities  insufficient  for  salvation,  13. 
Morality  contrasted  with  religion,  237  ; 

—  must  precede  religion,  295. 
Morning,  our  strength  and  spirits  in 

the,  43  ;  —  the  first  hour  of,  95. 
Moses,  his  real  life,  178. 
Mother,  God  pardons  like    a,  31 ;  — 

soothing  a  child,  God  like  a,  78  ;  — 

babe  the  anchor  of  the,  122  ;— of  the 

author,  her  letters,  137. 
Mother's    heart,  the,    is    the    child's 

school  room,  33;  — bosom,  the  babe 

feeds  on,  244. 

Mountain  top,  view  from  a,  88. 
Mountains,  God  likened  to,  47  ;  —  the 

springs  of  the,  152. 
Mozart,  158. 
Munificence  of  God,  243. 
Mummies,  men  made  of  the  dust  of,  5. 
Musical  instrument,  the  nature  of  men 

likened  to  a,  279. 
Music  in   heaven,   19;  —  composed  ol 

single  notes,  159  ;  — earthly,  181  ;  — 
if  good,  is  gacred,  184  ;  —  every  day  a 
stroke  of,  198  ;  —  loving  like,  207  ;  — 
the  sweetest,  293. 
b 


National  sins,  203. 

Nations,  the  growth  of,  a  charter  of 
change,  28  ;— the  hunting  down  of 
heathenism  by  the,  245. 

Natural  Bridge,  the  ascent  of,  86. 

Nature  does  not  teach  us  how  to  die, 
56; — and  grace  one,  70;  —  another 
Bible,  70  ;  —  physical,  the  source  of 
our  power,  75  ;  —  not  destroyed  by 
grace.  112;— full  of  symbols,  126  ; 
—  its  processes  noiseless,  135  ;  —  the 
voice  of,  179  ;  —  not  oppugnant  to 
grace,  201;  —  description  of,  in  the 
Psalms,  220. 

Needle,  the,  the  devil's  broadsword, 
93. 

Negative  virtues,  182. 

Negro,  his  skin  the  cause  of  his  sla- 
very, 165. 

Nervousness,  191. 

Nest,  a  last  year's,  36. 

New  England  boy,  winter  braved  by  a, 
84. 

New  Testament,  the  beginning  and  end 
of  the,  233. 

New  Testamentism,  42. 

Nightingale,  the,  of  the  Psalms,  19  j  — 
his  concern  for  criticism,  145. 

Nightingales,  a  tree  full,  65. 

Nightingale's  nest,  quarrel  over  a,  217. 

Night  labor  destroys  the  student,  52. 

Nile,  the  line  between  the  desert  and 
the,  56. 

Non-elect,  the,  241. 

Norway,  midnight  sun  in,  98. 

Nose,  sect  of  the,  53. 

Note,  cancelled,  an  image  of  forgive- 
ness, 108. 

Oak,  two  feet  high,  89  ;  —  two  centu- 
ries old,  its  death  the  beginning  of 
usefulness,  106  ;  —  growth  of  an, 226. 

Obligations  not  upon  Christians  only, 
157. 

Ocean,  evaporation  of  the,  226  ;  —  al- 
ways the  same,  283. 

Ohio  River,  steamboat  aground  in  the, 
271. 

Old  Testament,  220. 

Orange  tree,  30. 


XIV 


INDEX. 


Organ,  the  pulpit  likened  to  the  key- 
board of  an,  274. 
Outward  acts,  the  power  of,  114. 

Paradoxes  of  truth,  108. 

Parties  to  be  used  like  railroad  cars, 
118. 

Passions  to  be  curbed,  not  extermi- 
nated, 75. 

Past,  right  use  of  the,  123  j  — regrets 
of  the,  171. 

Patience,  not  learned  from  preaching, 
61 ;  —  prayer  for,  123. 

Patriotism,  made  an  argument  for 
wrong,  135. 

"  Peace,  be  still,"  106. 

Peace  of  God,  the,  77. 

Penalties,  289. 

Penance,  236. 

Perfect,  no  man  is,  124. 

Perfection,  through  discipline,  68  ;  — 
the  doctrine  of,  89. 

Persecution,  262. 

Perspiration  and  air  curative,  40. 

Pettifogging  in  one's  own  couscience,36. 

Petty  cares,  42. 

Phidias,  the  sculptor,  31. 

Philosophy,  166. 

Philosophers  over  a  nightingale's  nest, 
217;  — the  rosy,  224. 

Physical  laws,  the,  290. 

Piano  factory,  life  a,  154. 

Picture  of  Christ  in  the  gospel,  25. 

Pictures  in  a  magic  lantern,  295. 

Piety  before  theology,  2  ;  —  what  is 
true,  172. 

Pilgrim  singing,  the  2^d  Psalm  com- 
pared to  a,  9. 

Pilot  boats,  293. 

Pine,  the,  on  the  mountain,  27. 

Plans  compared  to  green  fruit,  71. 

Plants,  analogy  drawn  from  the  growth 
of,  48 ;  —  men  compared  to,  147 ;  — 
hearts  likened  to,  195. 

Plough  overturning  a  cricket's  nest, 
160. 

Ploughs,  doctrines  forged  like,  186. 

Plymouth  Rock,  the  three  strides  to- 
wards, 38. 

Poetry  of  the  Bible,  220. 


Politician,  a,  254. 

Politics,  relation  of  religion  to,  209. 

Portrait  of  Washington,  165. 

Porcelain,  character  likened  to,  175. 

Pot  over  a  slow  fire,  287. 

Potato,  its  growth,  292. 

Powers  bring  duties  to  their  possessor, 
37. 

Praise,  the  interest  on  charity,  82. 

Prayer,  unwilling,  38;  —  when  a  test 
of  piety,  121 ;  —  the  Lord's,  132 ;  — 
a  shield,  227  ;  —  its  unspoken  aspira- 
tions, 230 ;  —  to  boil  over  in,  287. 

Prayers,  smooth,  250. 

Preach, what  constitutes  the  right  to,  26. 

Preacher,  a  true,  God's  mint,  65. 

Preaching,  likened  to  a  child  plucking 
dewy  grass,  35  ;  —  experimental, 
depth  of,  63  ;  —  doctrine,  186. 

Predestination,  the  doctrine  of,  174.. 

Presbyterianism,  a  defender  of  liberty, 
39. 

Pride  of  men,  the,  130  ;  —  when  sub- 
dued, 134. 

Principles  only  eternal,  85. 

Prisons,  the  worst  not  of  stone,  15. 

Prisoners  in  castles,  247. 

Progress,  God's  law,  68. 

Promises  compared  to  a  highway  to 
heaven,  30 ;  —  likened  to  cords  reach- 
ing from  heaven,  36  ; —  of  God,  the, 
110;  — God  abides  by  his,  208;  — 
of  God,  like  a  boat  to  be  rowed,  260. 

Prophecy,  the  grandeur  of,  88  ;  —  ad- 
dressed to  the  imagination,  89. 

Prosperity,  influence  of,  24 ;  makes 
man  a  vortex,  60. 

Protestantism,  38. 

Proud  men  not  grateful,  115. 

Providence,  the  current  for  human 
plans,  128;  — when  men  trust  in, 
160  ;  — won't  direct  the  ball,  193. 

Psalm,  twenty-third,  the,  8; — seven- 
ty-third, like  Beethoven's  sympho- 
nies, 82. 

Public  opinion,  15  ;  —  compared  to 
snow  flakes,  17. 

Public  sentiment,  48,  204 ;  —  a  bat- 
tery, 192. 

Public  sins,  203. 


INDEX. 


Publican,  prayer  of  the,  182. 

Pulpit,  the  keyboard  of  an  organ,  274. 

Pump  run  down,  105. 

Punishment  of  the  wicked,  196  ; —  in- 
evitable, 289. 

Puritans,  the  ideas  of  the,  40. 

Puritanism,  42. 

Purpose,  man's,  like  a  river,  137. 

Pyramids,  men  likened  to,  17  ;  —-the, 
144. 

Railroad  train,  the  starting  of  a,  280. 

Rainbows  in  the  eyes,  94. 

Rain  drop,  a,  how  it  reaches  the  tree- 
top,  53. 

Raphael,  31,  158  ;  —  the  first  sketches 
of,  14. 

Reason,  the  use  of,  252. 

Refinement,  excessive,  136,  218. 

Refinements,  the  use  of,  113. 

Reform  not  always  thorough,  251. 

Reformers,  16 ;  —  always  a  hated  race, 
223. 

Relations,  not  always  of  our  blood,  69; 

—  the  good  every  where  are,  133. 
Religion  desired  by  some  as  a  light- 
ning rod,  2  ;  —  not  for  Sunday  only, 
4 ;  —  sentimental   and  practical,  21  ; 

—  the  call  to,  22;— the  whole  of 
life,    37  ;  —  a   meddler,    104  ;  —  the 
four  seasons  of,  not  to  be  brought 
into  one,  129  ;  —  the  result  of  choice, 
173;  —  its  relations  to  politics,  &c., 
209  ;  —  greater  than  institutions,  225 ; 

—  solf-denial  not   characteristic   of, 
228  ;  —  contrasted    with    morality, 
237  ;  —  the  harmony  of  the  faculties, 
257  ;  —  desired  as  an  insurance,  207  ; 

—  a  support  to  the  soul,  as  a  stake 
to  a  vine,  231  ;  —  separation  of  busi- 
ness from,  286;  —  the    sum    of  the 
graces,  295  ;  —  the  blossoming  of  the 
heart,  296. 

Religious  life,  a  river,  114;  —  a  secret, 
288. 

Religious  nature,  the,  282. 

Repentance,  236  ;  —  similes  concern- 
ing, 102  ;  —  the  experience  of,  not 
uniform,  110  ;  — what  is  true,  117. 

Republic,  duty  of  citizens  in  a,  64. 


Responsibility  not  divisible,  203. 

Revenge,  206. 

Reverence,  202. 

Revivals,  188  ;  —  likened  to  freshets, 

219,  234. 

Rich,  what  it  is  to  be,  77. 
Riches,  in  giving  up,  19. 
Right,    the    triumph    of,    169)  — not 

enough  to  desire  to  be,  193. 
River,  peace  likened  unto  a,  78  ;  —  the 

purpose  likened  to,  138;  —  Christian 

life,  a  new,  2CO. 

Romans,  the  eighth  chapter  of,  210. 
Rudder  of  the  day,  95. 
Ruin,  the  Bible  a,  193. 
"  Ruined,"  when  a  man  is,  34. 
Rule,  the  purpose  of,  206. 
Russia  moves  southward,  245. 

Sabbath  a  rock  in  the  stream  of  time, 

127  ;—  the  tide  of  the,  285. 
Sabbaths  should  be  hills  of  light,  84. 
Sacred  music,  184. 
Sailors,  13. 
Saint,  a  young,  294. 
Saint  John,  the  Gospel  of,  137. 
Samphire     gatherers,    simile     drawn 

from,  35. 

School,  influence  of  the,  145. 
Schools,  driven  westward,  272. 
Sculpture,  what  ie  nobler  than,  31. 
Seasons,  analogy  drawn  from  the,  129 ; 

—  men  compared  to  plants  in  the 

several,  147. 

Secrecy,  use  of,  to  the  soul,  145. 
Secret  sins,  290. 
Sects,    undue    prominence    given    to 

special  doctrines  by  the,  53. 
Self-conceit,  245. 
Self-contemplation,  213. 
Self-denial,   103,  228  ;  —  only   one   ol 

the  elements  of  religion,  12;  —  irk> 

some  to  some  professing  Christians, 

251. 

Self-examination,  172,  251,  269,  271. 
Self-isolation  of  genius,  culpable,  23. 
Self-respect,  92. 
Self-restraint,  131. 
Selfishness,  41,  140,  226;  — not  an  at 

tribute  of  God,  26  ;  —  of  refinement 


XVI 


INDEX. 


the,  136  j  —  a  worm  at  the  root,  195  ; 

—  a  low  country,  235. 
Sentimental  religion,  21. 

Sermons,  sound,  20; —  labored,  like 
wind  over  the  sea,  106. 

Shepherd,  Christ  the,  197. 

Shield,  a  spear-dent  in  a,  44. 

Ship,  held  by  the  anchor,  likened  to  a 
soul  anchored  to  secret  sin,  11 ;  — 
built  of  the  old  oak,  107  ; —  engine  to 
be  bolted  to  the,  119 ; —  how  to  prove 
the  speed  of  a,  172  j  —  unseawprthy, 
192. 

Ships,  only  the  sails  of,  visible  at  a 
distance,  85 ;  —  meeting  at  sea,  217 ; 

—  stranded,  284. 

Shirking,  by  a  fellow-laborer,  44. 

Shower,  singing  likened  to  a,  29. 

Sick,  a  physician  needed  by  the,  259. 

Sight,  the  pleasures  of,  278. 

Silkworm's  web,  113. 

Sin  is  against  God,  103  ;  —  not  divisi- 
ble, 203 ;  —  punishment  of,  289  j  — 
its  inevitable  consequences,  290. 

Sincerity,  in  belief,  not  enough,  16; — 
in  a  preacher,  138. 

Singing,  feeling  in,  29;  — of  a  congre- 
gation, 129  ;  —  with  prayer,  227. 

Sinner,  a,  going  to  God,  is  never  met 
with  a  scowl,  30  ;  —  true  repentance 
of  the,  183. 

Sins,  little,  compared  to  madrepores, 
11 ;— confession  of,23;  — hide  God's 
countenance,  44;  — open  and  secret, 
114. 

Skim  milk,  to  live,  64. 

Slave,  the  duty  of  helping  a,  128;  — 
Bible  or  the,  184. 

Slavery,  166,  204;  —  the  abettors  of, 
28;  — the  kind  of  gospel  which 
sanctions,  75. 

Sleep,  sacred,  143. 

Smutting  machines,  213. 

Snow  flakes  likened  to  public  opinion, 
17. 

Sobriety,  what  is  meant  by,  182. 

Society,  influence  of  public  opinion 
on,  48  ;  —  requires  new  institutions, 
62  ;  —  the  growth  of,  170. 

Solstice,  the  winter,  261. 


Soul,  the,  anchored  to  secret  sin,  11  :  — 
likened  to  a  house  with  apartments, 
18  j  —  the  yearnings  of,  67  ;  —  its  life 
written  upon  the  face  of  nature,  70  ; 

—  loss  of  the,  127 ;  —  how  it  should  go 
to  God,  139;  —  its  necessary  secrecy, 
145;  —  how  God  is  made  known  to 
the,  176  ;—  a  bay  filled  by  the  tide, 
242  ;  —  likened  to  a   vine,  249  ;  — 
likened  to  a  house,  251 ;  —  likened 
to  a  bird,  255 ;  — the  response  of  the, 
compared    lo   Memnon,   258  ;  —  its' 
winter  solstice,  261  ; —  likened  to  a 
ship,  262  ;—  clings  like  a  vine.  281. 

Soul-house,  building  a,  161. 

Soul-structures,  the  rearing  of,  102. 

Spelling  a  syllable,  34. 

Spheres,  men  have  different,  134. 

Spider's  web,  113. 

Springs  in  the  mountains,  152. 

Star,  to  make  a,  277. 

Stars,  the,  sparks  from  a  forge,  102  ;  — 

why  they  shine,  189  ; —  the  rays  of, 

194. 

State,  the  pabulum  of  a,  173. 
Statesman,  a,  254. 
Statue,  the  image  of  God  likened  to 

a,  3. 
Steamboat  aground  in  the  Ohio  River, 

271. 

Stoicism,  110. 
Stream,  damming  a,  131. 
Strong,  duty  of  the,  171. 
Students  prefer  night  for  labor,  52. 
Success,  36 ;  — is  what  history  records, 

90. 

Successful  man,  the,  160. 
Suffering  is  in  all  the  history  of  the 

world,  44  ;  —  how  borne,  109  ;  —  did 

not  slip  in  at  the  fall,  109;  — apart 

of  God's  plan,  191  ;  —  vicarious,  221  ; 

—  not  meritorious,  235. 
Summer's  morning,  a,  256. 

Sun,  the,  shines  for  all,  27  ;  —  at  mid- 
night in  Norway,  98 ;  —  the  sustainer 
of  the  system,  232. 

Sunday,  a  sponge  to  wipe  out  the  sins 
of  the  week,  4. 

Sunday  religion,  286. 

Superciliousness,  202. 


INDEX. 


XV11 


Swimmers,  a  rock  in  the  mid-stream 
for,  127. 

Swimming  across  East  River,  284. 

Switch  on  a  railroad  track,  29. 

Sword,  man  likened  to  a,  21  j—  con- 
science likened  to  a,  29. 

Symbols  used  by  God,  66 ;  —  in  a 
house,  124  ;  — in  nature,  126. 

Sympathy,  power  of,  76. 

Syro-Phoenician  woman,  the,  211. 

Table,  associations  of  the,  141. 

Tear,  a,  used  as  a  lens,  26. 

Telescope,  illustration  from  the,  26  ;  — 
its  lens,  how  dimmed,  43  ; —  imagi- 
nation like  a,  96  ;  —  illustration  from 
the  use  of  a,  252. 

Temptations  without  imply  desires 
within,  73. 

Texts  likened  to  balls  of  twine,  211. 

Thankful  heart  like  a  magnet,  116. 

Thanks,  the  giving  of,  115. 

Theologians,  their  quarrels,  217. 

Theology  not  the  beginning  of  Chris- 
tian life,  2. 

Theatre,  the,  251  j  — when  a  Christian 
should  go  to  the,  139. 

Thinking  is  creating,  228. 

Thinker,  a  true,  reports  the  discourse 
of  God,  17. 

Thought,  exhaustless,  17;  — the  ar- 
row, 67;  — evil  in,  115;  — without 
speech,  148 ;  —  men  of,  178 ;  —  rapid 
play  of,  216  ;  —  deeper  than  speech, 
229 ;  —  golden-orbed,  277. 

Thoughts  likened  to  a  troop  of  birds, 
50  ; —  involuntary,  65. 

Tide,  love  like  a,  242. 

Tides,  the,  285. 

Timber  lodged  in  trees  by  freshets,  219. 

Time  ends  not  at  once,  43. 

Titian,  duty  of  the  pupil  of,  275. 

Tones,  the  seven,  likened  to  the  week, 
43. 

Torch,  carrying  in  a  windy  street, 
a,  55. 

Trades  leave  their  mark  upon  the 
man,  71. 

Train  saved  from  destruction  276. 

Traitor,  a  fruit  of  what  tree,  104. 


Transfiguration,  Raphael's  picture  of 
the,  270. 

Traveller  on  a  summer's  morning,  257. 

Tree,  rain  goes  first  to  the  roots  of,  58 ; 
—  how  made  to  grow  on  the  south 
side,  109 ;  —  the"  preacher  likens  him- 
self to  a,  150  ;  —  the  fall  of  a,  289. 

Tree  of  life,  the,  152  ;—  girdled,  167. 

Trees  grow  tall  and  spindling  in  for- 
ests, 37 ; —  tall,  to  shade  the  lower 
ones,  135;  — old,  the  cutting  down 
of,  151 :  —  growing  on  the  roots  of 
eld  trunks,  179;  — men  likened  to, 
181 ;  —  without  the  garden,  215. 

Trellis,  the  Bible  a,  263. 

Trial,  the  joy  of  victory  over,  8. 

Trials,  the  use  of,  56;  — like  arrows 
from  the  bow  of  God,  195. 

Trouble  overwhelming,  80  ;  —  like  a 
storm  without,  81 ;  —  like  deep  wa- 
ter, 81 ;  —  to  be  braved  like  winter, 
84. 

Troubles  caused  by  pride,  25  ;  —  some, 
how  curable,  40  ;  —  small,  42 ;  —.vic- 
tory over,  81  ;— .God's  tools,  100  ;  — 
vanish  like  mists,  140;  —  the  cure 
for,  202 ;  —  to  be  crossed  over,  261, 

Truth  grows  strong  in  defeat,  35;  — 
doctrine,  the  skin  of,  97  ;  —  the  sphere 
of  some  to  evolve,  134  ;  —  the  cur- 
rency of  God,  144  ;  —  compared  to 
clouds,  &c.,  166 ;  —  divine,  never 
lost,  239;  — likened  to  wheat  from 
the  tombs  of  Egypt,  240. 

Truths  developed  for  us  as  from  egga, 
15. 

Twine,  the  length  of  a  ball  of,  210. 

Universalism,  233. 

Vacation,  death  a,  189. 

Vases,  perfumed,  15. 

Vegetation  the  great  analogue,  48  ;  — 

noiseless,  135. 

Vengeance  not  a  divine  attribute,  232. 
Vicarious  suffering,  221. 
Vices,  frosted  and  ornamented,  129. 
Vicious,    longing    for  virtue    by  the, 

100. 
Village,  lights  by  night  in  a,  97. 


XVU1 


INDEX. 


Vine,  dialogue  between  a  barren  and  a 

fruitful,  238  j  —  examination   of  a, 

269. 
Vines,  men  like,  170  j  — their  nature  to 

cling,  280. 
Violet,  the,  28. 
Violins  out  of  tune,  223. 
Violinist,  the,  screws  up  the  key,  66. 
Virtues  in  outline,  123 ;—  few  great, 

132. 
Voyage  of  life,  the,  51, 164. 

Wall  Street,  165. 

Warehouses,  men  likened  to,  162 

Washington,  the  portrait  of,  164. 

Watch,  the  examination  of  a,  268. 

Water  of  life,  the,  126. 

Water-logged  with  anxiety,  237. 

Waterwheel,  the  breaking  of  the,  92. 

Way,  Christ  the,  93. 

Wealth,  and  losses,  33  j  —  the  pursuit 

of,  144. 

Weaving  the. web  of  life,  124. 
Weeds,  how  destroyed,  176. 
Wedding,  the  communion  a,  202. 
Week,  the,  likened  to  the  seven  tones, 

43. 
Wheat  covered  with  smut, 212 ;—  from 


the  pyramids,  240 ;—  best  sown 
clean,  292. 

"  White  robes,"  meaning  of  the,  122. 

"  Whosoever  will,"  234. 

Wickedness  of  some  persons,  192. 

Window,  the  church  likened  to  a,  32. 

Windows,  stained,  54. 

Winter  braved  by  a  New  England  boy, 
84  ;—  wakening  of  earth  from,  198. 

Wisdom,  the  result  of  the  past,  179. 

Word  of  God,  the,  like  a  magic  writ- 
ing, 43. 

Words,  the  bannerets  of  an  army,  230. 

Work,  the  best  discipline,  73  ;  —  does 
not  kill  men,  80. 

Women  dependent  on  the  needle,  93. 

World,  the,  God's  seed  bed,  134;  — 
fruitful,  169;  — the  misery  of  the, 
174  j  —  a  hospital,  194 ;  —  God's  cra- 
dle, 247. 

Worlds,  the  creation  of,  228. 

Worry,  the  effect  of,  80. 

Worship,  false  idea  of,  20. 

Wreck  of  a  great  man,  284. 

Wrestling  with  God,  80. 

Yearnings  of  the  soul,  67. 
Young  men,  the  conservative,  221. 


LIFE  THOUGHTS. 


Now  abideth  these  three  :  Faith,  by  which  we  see 
the  glories  of  the  eternal  sphere ;  Hope,  by  which 
we  mount  towards  them ;  and  Love,  by  which  we 
grasp  and, inherit  them  —  therefore  the  greatest  of 
these  is  Love. 

Love,  amid  the  other  graces  in  this  world,  is  like 
a  cathedral  tower,  which  begins  on  the  earth,  and, 
at  first,  is  surrounded  by  the  other  parts  of  the 
structure.  But,  at  length,  rising  above  buttressed 
wall,  and  arch,  and  parapet,  and  pinnacle,  it  shoots 
spire-like  many  a  foot  right  into  the  air,  so  high 
that  the  huge  cross  on  its  summit  glows  like  a 
spark  in  the  morning  light,  and  shines  like  a  star 
in  the  evening  sky,  when  the  rest  of  the  pile  is 
enveloped  in  darkness.  So  Love,  here,  is  sur- 
rounded by  the  other  graces,  and  divides  the  honors 
1  CD 


LIFE     THOUGHTS. 


with  them ;  but  they  will  have  felt  the  wrap  of 
night  and  of  darkness  when  it  will  shine,  luminous, 
against  the  sky  of  eternity. 


MANY  men  want  wealth  —  not  a  competence  alone, 
but  a  five-story  competence.  Every  thing  subserves 
this  ;  and  religion  they  would  like  as  a  sort  of 
lightning  rod  to  their  houses,  to  ward  off,  by  and 
by,  the  bolts  of  divine  wrath. 


THE  way  to  begin  a  Christian  life  is  not  to  study 
theology.  Piety  before  theology.  Right  living 
will  produce  right  thinking.  Yet  many  men,  when 
their  consciences  are  aroused,  run  for  catechisms, 
and  commentaries,  and  systems.  They  do  not 
mean  to  be  shallow  Christians.  They  intend  to  be 
thorough,  if  they  enter  upon  the  Christian  life  at 
all.  Now,  theologies  are  well  in  their  place ;  but 
repentance  and  love  must  come  before  all  other 
experiences.  First  a  cure  for  your  sin-sick  soul, 
and  then  theologies.  Suppose  a  man  were  taken 
with  the  cholera,  and,  instead  of  sending  for  a  phy- 
sician, he  should  send  to  a  bookstore,  and  buy  all 
the  books  which  have  been  written  on  the  human 
system,  and,  while  the  disease  was  working  in  his 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  3 

vitals,  he  should  say,  "  I'll  not  put  myself  in  the 
hands  of  any  of  these  doctors.  I  shall  probe  this 
thing  to  the  bottom." 

"Would  it  not  be  better  for  him  first  to  be  cured 
of  the  cholera  ? 

THE  Bible  is  the  most  betrashed  book  in  the 
world.  Coming  to  it  through  commentaries  is 

much  like  looking  at  a  landscape  through  garret 

• 

windows,  over  which  generations  of  unmolested 
spiders  have  spun  their  webs. 

Our  real  commentators  are  our  strongest  traits 
of  character ;  and  we  usually  come  out  of  the  Bible 
with  all  those  texts  sticking  to  us  which  our  idio- 
syncrasies attract. 

IF  one  should  send  me  from  abroad  a  richly- 
carved  and  precious  statue,  and  the  careless  dray- 
man who  tipped  it  upon  the  sidewalk  before  my 
door  should  give  it  such  a  blow  that  one  of  the 
boards  of  the  box  should  be  wrenched  off,  I  should 
be  frightened  lest  the  hurt  had  penetrated  farther, 
and  wounded  it  within.  But  if,  taking  off  the  re- 
maining boards,  and  the  swathing  bands  of  straw 
or  cotton,  the  statue  should  come  out  fair  and  un- 
harmed, I  should  not  mind  the  box,  but  should  cast 
it  carelessly  into  the  street. 


4  LIFETH  OUGHTS. 

Now,  every  man  has  committed  to  him  a  statue, 
moulded  by  the  oldest  master,  not  of  Cupid,  or 
Venus,  or  Psyche,  or  Jupiter,  or  Apollo,  but  the 
image  of  God ;  and  he  who  is  only  solicitous  for 
outward  things,  who  is  striving  to  protect  merely 
the  body  from  injuries  and  reverses,  is  letting  the 
statue  go  rolling  away  into  the  gutter,  while  he  is 
picking  up  the  fragments  and  lamenting  the  ruin 
of  the  box. 

A  WEEK  filled  up  with  selfishness,  and  the  Sab- 
bath stuffed  full  of  religious  exercises,  will  make  a 
good  Pharisee,  but  a  poor  Christian.  There  are 
many  persons  who  think  Sunday  is  a  sponge  with 
which  to  wipe  out  the  sins  of  the  week.  Now, 
God's  altar  stands  from  Sunday  to  Sunday,  and  the 
seventh  day  is  no  more  for  religion  than  any  other. 
It  is  for  rest.  The  whole  seven  are  for  religion, 
and  one  of  them  for  rest. 


ALL  things  in  the  natural  world  symbolize  God, 
yet  none  of  them  speak  of  him  but  in  broken  and 
imperfect  words.  High  above  all  he  sits,  sub- 
limer  than  mountains,  grander  than  storms,  sweet- 
er than  blossoms  and  tender  fruits,  nobler  than 
lords,  truer  than  parents,  more  loving  than  lovers. 


LIFET  II  OUGHTS.  5 

His  feet  tread  the  lowest  places  of  the  earth ;  but 
his  head  is  above  all  glory,  and  every  where  he  is 
supreme. 

You  might  as  well  go  to  the  catacombs  of  Egypt, 
and  scrape  up  the  dust  of  the  mummies,  and  knead 
it  into  forms,  and  bake  them  in  your  oven,  and  call 
such  things  men,  and  present  them,  as  citizens  and 
teachers,  for  our  regard,  as  to  bring  old,  time-worn 
institutions  to  serve  the  growth  and  the  living  wants 
of  to-day. 

*  WHAT  cares  the  child  when  the  mother  rocks  it, 
though  all  storms  beat  without  ?  So  we,  if  God 
doth  shield  and  tend  us,  shall  be  heedless  of  the 
tempests  and  blasts  of  life,  blow  they  never  so 
rudely. 

EVERY  man  feels,  arid  not  strangely,  that  there? 
never  were  such  experiences  of  life  as  his  own.  No 
joy  was  ever  like  our  joy,  no  sorrow  ever  like  our 
sorrow.  Indeed,  there  is  a  kind  of  indignation  ex- 
cited in  us  when  one  likens  our  grief  to  his  own. 
The  soul  is  jealous  of  its  experiences,  and  does  not 
like  pride  to  be  humbled  by  the  thought  that  they 
are  common.  For,  though  we  know  that  the  world 

*  In  church,  one  rainy  Sabbath  morning. 
1* 


6  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

groans  and  travails  in  pain,  and  has  done  so  for  ages, 
yet  a  groan  heard  by  our  ear  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  a  groan  uttered  by  our  mouth.  The 
.sorrows  of  other  men  seem  to  us  like  clouds  of 
rain  that  empty  themselves  in  the  distance,  and 
whose  long-travelling  thunder  comes  to  us  mellowed 
and  subdued  ;  but  our  own  troubles  are  like  a 
storm  bursting  right  overhead,  and  sending  down 
its  bolts  upon  us  with  direct  plunge. 

But  there  have  been  human  hearts,  constituted  just 
like  ours,  for  six  thousand  years.  The  same  stars 
rise  and  set  upon  this  globe  that  rose  upon  the 
plains  of  Shinar  or  along  the  Egyptian  Nile ;  and 
the  same  sorrows  rise  and  set  in  every  age.  All 
that  sickness  can  do,  all  that  disappointment  can 
effect,  all  that  blighted  love,  disappointed  ambition, 
thwarted  hope,  ever  did,  they  do  still.  Not  a  tear 
is  wrung  from  eyes  now,  that,  for  the  same  reason, 
has  not  been  wept  over  and  over  again  in  long  suc- 
cession since  the  hour  that  the  fated  pair  stepped 
from  paradise,  and  gave  their  posterity  to  a  world 
of  sorrow  and  suffering.  The  head  learns  new 
things,  but  the  heart  forevermore  practises  old  •ex- 
periences. Therefore  our  life  is  but  a  new  form  of 
the  way  men  have  lived  from  the  beginning. 

When  the  landsman  first  goos  down  upon  the 
deep,  to  see  what  storm-ploughing  means,  what  fur- 
rows the  wind  draws,  seedless  and  implanted,  he 


LIFE    THOU  GUTS.  7 

feels  in  every  shivering  nerve  that  never  was  such 
storm  'known  before.  Now,  he  bethinks  himself 
with  horror,  there  has  come  upon  the  deep  a  fury 
never  till  then  let  loose.  But  the  clouds  laugh,  and 
the  winds  know,  that  ten  thousand  times  before  they 
have  terrified  just  such  inexperienced  wretches. 
Yea,  long  ere  a  ship  dared  the  central  ocean,  storms 
had  navigated  it,  nor  failed  to  pursue  their  dreadful 
sport  ever  since  a  keel  crossed  the  perilous  deep. 

Not  only  are  such  experiences  the  hereditary  leg- 
acy of  men,  rolled  over  and  over,  and  sent  down  in 
succession  upon  every  generation,  but  the  methods 
by  which  men  have  met  and  conquered  trouble,  or 
been  slain  by  it,  are  the  same  in  every  age.  Some 
have  floated  on  the  sea,  and  trouble  carried  them 
on  its  surface  as  the  sea  carries  cork.  Some  have 
sunk  at  once  to  the  bottom  as  foundering  ships  sink. 
Some  have  run  away  from  their  own  thoughts. 
Some  have  coiled  themselves  up  into  a  stoical  in- 
difference. Some  have  braved  the  trouble,  and 
defied  it.  Some  have  carried  it  as  a  tree  does  a 
wound,  until  by  new  wood  it  can  overgrow  and 
cover  the  old  gash.  A  few  in  every  age  have  known 
the  divine  art  of  carrying  sorrow  and  trouble  as 
wonderful  food  ;  as  an  invisible  garment  that 
clothed  them  with  strength  ;  as  a  mysterious  joy, 
so  that  they  suffered  gladly,  rejoicing  in  infirmity, 


8  L  I  F  E     T  II  0  U  G  H  T  8  . 

and,  holding  up  their  heads  with  sacred  presages 
whenever  times  were  dark  and  troublous,  let  the 
light  depart  from  their  eyes,  that  they  might  by 
faith  see  nobler  things  than  sight  could  reach. 

The  most  affecting  records  of  literature  are  those 
which  repeat  to  us  the  sacred  joy  of  souls  in  trial 
—  their  victory,  and  the  causes  of  it.  Job  says, 
"  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him." 
Moses  "  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible." 
Isaiah  had  sounded  forth,  "  The  wilderness  and  the 
solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert 
shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall  blos- 
som abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  sing- 
ing ;  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it, 
the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon  ;  they  shall 
see  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  the  excellency  of 
our  God.  .  .  .  And  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord 
shall  return  and  come  to  Zion.  with  songs  and  ever- 
lasting joy  upon  their  heads ;  they  shall  obtain  joy  and 
gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away." 

David  has  left  no  sweeter  psalm  than  the  short 
twenty-third.  It  is  but  a  moment's  opening  of  his 
soul ;  but —  as  when  one,  walking  the  winter  street, 
sees  the  door  opened  for  some  one  to  enter,  and  the 
red  light  streams  a  moment  forth,  and  the  forms  of 
gay  children  are  running  to.  greet  the  comer,  and 
genial  music  sounds,  though  the  door  shuts  and 
leaves  the  night  black,  yet  it  cannot  shut  back  again 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  9 

all  that  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  heart,  and  the  imagi- 
nation have  seen  —  so  in  this  psalm,  though  it  is  but 
a  moment's  opening  of  the  soul,  are  emitted  truths 
of  peace  and  consolation  that  will  never  be  absent 
from  the  world. 

The  twenty-third  psalm  is  the  nightingale  of  the 
psalms.  It  is  small,  of  a  homely  feather,  singing 
shyly  out  of  obscurity ;  but,  0,  it  has  filled  the  air 
of  the  whole  world  with  melodious  joy,  greater 
than  the  heart  can  conceive.  Blessed  be  the  day 
on  which  that  psalm  was  born.  . 

What  would  you  say  of  a  pilgrim  commissioned 
of  God  to  travel  up  and  down  the  earth  singing  a 
strange  melody,  which,  when  one  heard,  caused  him 
to  forget  whatever  sorrow  he  had?  And  so  the 
singing  angel  goes  on  his  way  through  all  lands, 
singing  in  the  language  of  every  nation,  driving 
away  trouble  by  the  pulses  of  the  air  which  his 
tongue  moves  with  divine  power.  Behold  just  such 
an  one  !  This  pilgrim  God  has  sent  to  speak  in 
every  language  on  the  globe.  It  has  charmed 
more  griefs  to  rest  than  all  the  philosophy  of  the 
world.  It  has  remanded  to  their  dungeon  more 
felon  thoughts,  more  black  doubts,  more  thieving 
sorrows,  than  there  are  sands  on  the  sea  shore.  It 
has  comforted  the  noble  host  of  the  poor.  It  has 
sung  courage  to  the  army  of  the  disappointed.  It 
has  poured  balm  and  consolation  into  the  heart  of 


10  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

the  sick,  of  captives  in  dungeons,  of  widows  in  their 
pinching  griefs,  of  orphans  in  their  loneliness.  Dy- 
ing soldiers  have  died  easier  as  it  was  read  to  them ; 
ghastly  hospitals  have  been  illumined  ;  it  has  visited 
the  prisoner  and  broken  his  chains,  and,  like  Peter's 
angel,  led  him  forth  in  imagination,  and  sung  him 
back  to  his  home  again.  It  has  made  the  dying 
Christian  slave  freer  than  his  master,  and  consoled 
those  whom,  dying,  he  left  behind  mourning,  not 
so  much  that  he  was  gone  as  because  they  were  left 
behind,  and  could  not  go  too.  Nor  is  its  work  done. 
It  will  go  singing  to  your  children  and  my  children, 
and  to  their  children,  through  all  the  generations 
of  time ;  nor  will  it  fold  its  wings  till  the  last  pil- 
grim is  safe,  and  time  ended ;  and  then  it  shall  fly 
back  to  the  bosom  of  God,  whence  it  issued,  and 
sound  on,  mingled  with  all  those  sounds  of  celes- 
tial joy  which  make  heaven  musical  forever. 


0  IMPATIENT  ones  !  Did  the  leaves  say  nothing 
to  you  as  they  murmured,  when  you  came  hither 
to-day  ?  They  were  not  created  this  spring,  but 
months  ago ;  and  the  summer  just  begun  will 
fashion  others  for  another  year.  At  the  bottom  of 
every  loaf  stem  is  a  cradle,  and  in  it  is  an  infant 
germ ;  and  the  winds  will  rock  it,  and  the  birds 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  11 

will  sing  to  it  all  summer  long,  and  next  season  it 
will  unfold.  So  God  is  working  for  you,  and  car- 
rying forward  to  the  perfect  development  all  the 
processes  of  your  lives. 


You  have  seen  a  ship  out  on  the  bay,  swinging 
with  the  tide,  and  seeming  as  if  it  would  follow  it ; 
and  yet  it  cannot,  for  down  beneath  the  water  it  is 
anchored.  So  many  a  soul  sways  towards  heaven, 
but  cannot  ascend  thither,  because  it  is  anchored  to 
some  secret  sin.  . 

MEN,  in  their  property,  are  afraid  of  conflagra- 
tions and  lightning  strokes  ;  but  if  they  were  build- 
ing a  wharf  in  Panama,  millions  of  teredos,  so 
small  that  only  the  microscope  could  detect  them, 
would  begin  to  bore  the  piles  down  under  the 
water.  There  would  be  neither  noise  nor  foam  ;  but 
in  a  little  while,  if  a  child  did  but  touch  the  postr 
over  it  would  fall  as  if  a  saw  had  cut  it  through. 

Xo\v,  men  think,  with  regard  to  their  conduct, 
that,  if  they  were  to  lift  themselves  up  gigantically 
and  commit  some  crashing  sin,  they  should  never 
be  able  to  hold  up  their  heads ;  but  they  will  harbor 
in  their  souls  little  sins,  which  are  piercing  and 
eating  them  away  to  inevitable  ruin. 


12  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

"  IF  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me." 

Thisls  only  one  meaning  of  religion.  ^If  I  should 
say  of  a  garden,  "  It  is  a  place  fenced  in,"  what 
idea  would  you  have  of  its  clusters  of  roses,  and 
pyramids  of  honeysuckles,  and  beds  of  odorous 
flowers,  and  rows  of  blossoming  shrubs  and  fruit- 
bearing  trees  ?  If  I  should  say  of  a  cathedral,  "ft 
is  built  of  stone,  cold  stone,"  what  idea  would  you 
have  of  its  wondrous  carvings,  and  its  gorgeous 
openings  for  door  and  window,  and  its  evanishing 
spire  ?  Now,  if  you  regard  religion  merely  as  self- 
denial,  you  stop  at  the  fence,  and  see  nothing  of 
the  pleasantness  of  the  garden  ;  you  think  only  of 
the  stone,  and  not  of  the  marvellous  beauty  into 
which  it  is  fashioned. 


ONE  might  as  well  attempt  to  calculate  mathe- 
matically the  contingent  forms  of  the  tinkling  bits 
of  glass  in  a  kaleidoscope  as  to  look  through  the 
tube  of  the  future  and  foretell  its  pattern. 


WE  sleep,  but  the  loom  .of  life  never  stops  ;  and 
the  pattern  which  was  weaving  when  the  sun  went 
down  is  weaving  when  it  comes  up  to-morrow. 


LIFETHOUG1ITS.  13 

MEN  who  neglect  Christ,  and  try  to  win  heaven 
through  moralities,  are  like  sailors  at  sea  in  a  storm, 
who  pull,  some  at  the  bowsprit  and  some  at  the 
mainmast,  but  never  touch  the  helm. 


OUR  best  actions  are  often  those  of  which  we  are 
unconscious ;  but  this  can  never  be  unless  we  are 
always  yearning  to  do  good. 

In  my  garden  at  the  West,  I  used  sometimes  to 
notice  that  the  finest  heads  of  lettuce  were  not  in 
the  beds,  but  on  some. southern  ridge,  where  they 
had  chanced  to  grow.  It  seemed  as  though  random 
seeds  always  did  the  best,  from  a  kind  of  wild  emu- 
lation ;  but  they  never  grew  without  the  sowing,  and 
the  chance-sown  seed  was  never  wild. 

If  you  shake  the  tree,  you  can  bring  down  fruit, 
no  doubt ;  but  I  remember,  when  a  boy,  the  persua- 
sion to  get  early  out  of  bed  was  the  thought  of  the 
large  white  apples  that  lay  beneath  the  trees,  await- 
ing the  first  comer  —  that  had  dropped  upon  the 
grass  in  the  silent  night,  almost  without  a  breath 
of  wind  to  stir  the  branches.  Now,  I  think  every 
man  ought  to  carry  his  boughs  so  full  of  fruits,  that, 
like  the  apples  which  drop  from  silent  dew,  they  will 
fall  by  the  weight  of  their  own  ripeness  for  whoever 
needs  to  be  refreshed.  We  should  go  home  to  the 
2 


14  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

threshing  floor  like  a  great  harvest  wagon  full  of 
sheaves,  which  at  every  jolt  casts  down  ears  for  the 
gleaners,  and  stray  seeds  for  the  birds,  and  now  and 
then  a  chance  handful,  which,  blown  by  winds  into 
nooks  and  corners,  comes  up  to  grow,  and  to  bless 
another  generation. 

HE  who  is  false  to  present  duty  breaks  a  thread 
in  the  loom,  "and  will  find  the  flaw  when  he  may 
have  forgotten  its  cause. 


WHEN  I  was  in  the  galleries  of  Oxford,  I  saw 
many  of  the  designs  of  Raphael  and  Michael  An- 
gelo.  I  looked  upon  them  with  reverence,  and  took 
up  such  of  them  as  I  was  permitted  to  touch  as  one 
would  take  up  a  love  token.  It  seemed  to  me  these 
sketches  brought  me  nearer  the  great  masters  than 
their  finished  pictures  could  have  done,  because 
therein  I  saw  the  minds'  processes  as  they  were 
first  born.  They  were  the  first  salient  points 
of  the  inspiration.  Could  I  have  brought  them 
home  with  me,  how  rich  I  should  have  been ! 
how  envied  for  their  possession  !  Now,  there  are 
open  and  free  to  us,  every  day  of  our  lives,  the  de- 
signs of  a  greater  than  Raphael  or  Michael  Angelo. 
God,  of  whom  the  noblest  master  is  but  a  feeble 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  15 

imitator,  is  sketching  and  painting  every  hour  the 
most  wondrous  pictures  —  not  hoarded  in  any  gal- 
lery, but  spread  in  light  and  shadow  round  the 
whole  earth,  and  glowing  for  us  in  the  overhanging 
skies. 

WHAT  if  the  parent  bird  should  sit,  nervous  and 
fluttering,  upon  the  bough,  when  the  young  ones 
were  hatching,  and  mourn  because  its  beautiful  egg 
shells  were  being  broken  ?. 

Yet  this  is  what  we  do.  We  have  joys  and  truths 
deep  as  eternity,  committed  to  us  in  the  egg  form, 
and  the  shell  must  needs  be  chipped  before  they 
can  be  born,  and  fly,  full-fledged,  singing,  towards 
the  gate  of  heaven.  Yet  we  grieve  and  fear,  and 
cling  still  to  the  undeveloped  egg. 


IF  a  man  is  odious  in  society,  he  might  as  well 
be  in  prison.  The  worst  prisons  are  not  of  stone ; 
they  are  of  throbbing  hearts,  outraged  by  an  infa- 
mous life. 


THERE  are  many  people  in  this  world  who  are  like 
perfumed  vases  from  which  the  perfume  has  fled,  all 
the  surrounding  objects  attracting  it ;  and  so  their 
life  is  not  in  themselves,  but  in  their  things. 


16  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

IT  is  often  said  it  is  no  matter  what  a  man  believes 
if  he  is  only  sincere.  This  is  true  of  all  minor 
truths,  and  false  of  all  truths  whose  nature  it  is  to 
fashion  a  man's  life.  It  will  make  no  difference  in 
ra  man's  harvest  whether  he  think  turnips  have 
more  saccharine  matter  than  potatoes  —  whether 
corn  is  better  than  wheat.  But  let  the  man  sin- 
cerely believe  that  seed  planted  without  ploughing 
is  as  good  as  with,  that  January  is  as  favorable  for 
seed  sowing  as  April,  and  that  cockle  seed  will 
produce  as  good  a  harvest  as  wheat,  and  will  it 
make  no  difference  ?  A  child  might  as  well  think 
he  could  reverse  that  ponderous  marine  engine 
which,  night  and  day,  in  calm  and  storm,  ploughs 
its  way  across  the  deep,  by  sincerely  taking  hold  of 
the  paddle-wheel,  as  %  a  man  might  think  he  could 
reverse  the  action  of  the  elements  of  God's  moral 
government  through  a  misguided  sincerity.  They 
will  roll  over  such  an  one,  and  whelm  him  in  end- 
less ruin. 

THEY  are  not  reformers  who  simply  abhor  evil. 
Such  men  become  in  the  end  abhorrent  themselves. 


SOMETIMES  men  who  have  been  frankly  wicked 
attempt  to  reform,  and  become  locked-up  hypocrites. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  17 

ONE  man's  heart  beating  against  yours  may  be 
little  to  you  ;  but  when  it  is  the  echo  of  a  thousand 
hearts,  you  cannot  resist  it.  A  single  snow-flake, — 
who  cares  for  it  ?  But  a  whole  day  of  snow-flakes, 
obliterating  the  landmarks,  drifting  over  the  doors, 
gathering  upon  the  mountains  to  crash  in  avalanches, 
—  who  does  not  care  for  that  ?  Private  opinion  is 
weak,  but  public  opinion  is  almost  omnipotent. 


SOME  men  are  like  pyramids,  which  are  very 
broad  where  they  touch  the  ground,  but  grow  nar- 
rower as  they  reach  the  sky. 


PEOPLE  say,  "  How  fortunate  it  is  that  things 
have  turned  out  just  as  they  have  —  that  I  was  pre- 
pared for  this ! "  As  if  God  did  not  arrange  the 
whole  !  One  might  as  well  say,  "  How  fortunate  it 
is  that  I  have  a  neck  beneath  my  head,  and  shoul- 
ders under  my  neck  !  " 


No  man  need  fear  that  he  will  -exhaust  his  sub- 
stance of  thought,  if  he  will  only  draw  his  inspiration 
from  actual  human  life.  There  the  inexhaustible 
God  pours  depths  and  endless  variety  of  truth  ;  and 

2* 


18  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

the  true  thinker  is  but  a  short-hand  writer  endeav- 
oring to  report  the  discourse  of  God.  Shall  a  child  on 
the  banks  of  the  Amazon  fear  lest  he  should  drink  up 
the  stream  ? 


THERE  are  apartments  in  the  soul  which  have  a 
glorious  out-look ;  from  whose  windows  you  can  see 
across  the  river  of  death,  and  into  the  shining  city 
beyond ;  but  how  often  are  these  neglected  for  the 
lower  ones,  which  have  earthward-looking  win- 
dows. There  is  the  apartment  of  Veneration.  Its 
ceilings  are  frescoed  with  angels,  and  all  exquisite 
carvings  adorn  its  walls ;  but  spiders  have  covered 
the  angel  ceiling,  and  dust  has  settled  on  the  deli- 
cate mouldings.  The  man  does  not  abide  there. 
The  door  of  Conscience  is  rusted  so  it  cannot  be 
opened.  Hope  has  but  one  downward-looking  win- 
dow, and  Faith  and  Worship  are  cold  and  cheerless. 
All  these  are  shut  up  in  most  soul-houses.  In  lower 
apartments  you  shall  hear,  in  some  riot  and  wassail, 
—  for  the  passions  never  keep  Lent,  but  are  always 
holding  Carnival, —  and  in  others  sighs  and  lamenta- 
tions of  wounded  hopes,  and  in  others  the  groanings 
of  disappointed  ambition,  and  in  others  bickerings 
and  strifes,  while  in  others  there  are  sleep  and  stu- 
pidity. 

Ah  !  most  men  live  in  these  wretched  apartments, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  19 

and  never  mount  to  those  airy  ones  where  they 
can  hold  commerce  with  God  and  angels.  Now 
Christ  comes  to  light  up  the  house  from  foundation 
to  roof-tree  with  the  glory  of  God.  He  knocks  at 
the  door,  and,  when  it  is  opened  to  him,  he  enters, 
and  gives  to  every  room  order,  and  beauty,  and  the 
voice  of  song,  and  a  wondrous  fragrance  from  his 
robes,  which  have  borrowed  smell  of  every  flower 
that  grows  in  the  celestial  gardens.  Who  will  open 
the  door? 

IN  this  world,  it  is  not  what  we  take  up,  but  what 
we  give  up,  that  makes  us  rich. 


WHEN  a  man  unites  with  the  church,  he  should 
not  come  saying,  "  I  am  so  holy  that  I  think  I  must 
go  in  among  the  saints,"  but,  "  0  brethren,  I  find 
I  am  so  weak  and  wicked  that  I  cannot  stand  alone  ; 
so,  if  you  can  help  me,  open  the  door  and  let  me 
enter." 


AMID  the  discords  of  this  life,  it  is  blessed  to 
think  of  heaven,  where  God  draws  after  him  an 
everlasting  train  of  music  ;  for  all  thoughts  are  har- 
monious and  all  feelings  vocal,  and  so  there  is  round 
about  his  feet  eternal  melody. 


20  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

MANY  of  our  churches  defy  Protestantism.  Grand 
cathedrals  are  they,  which  make  us  shiver  as  we 
enter  them.  The  windows  are  so  constructed  as  to 
exclude  the  light  and  inspire  a  religious  awe.  The 
walls  are  of  stone,  making  us  think  of  our  last 
home.  The  ceilings  are  sombre,  and  the  pews 
coffin-Qolored.  Then  the  services  are  composed  to 
these  circumstances,  and  hushed  music  goes  trem- 
bling along  the  aisles,  and  men  move  softly,  and 
would  on  no  account  put  on  their  hats  before  they 
reach  the  door ;  but  when  they  do,  they  take  a  long 
breath,  and  have  such  a  sense  of  relief  to  be  in  the 
free  air.,  and  comfort  themselves  with  the  thought 
that  they  have  been  good  Christians ! 

Now,  this  idea  of  worship  is  narrow  and  false. 
The  house  of  God  should  be  a  joyous  place  for  the 
right  use  of  all  our  faculties. 

I  had  rather  see  a  congregation  laugh,  when  it 
is  a  sign  of  life  in  them,  than  to  see  them  asleep 
Under,  appropriately  called,  sound  sermons. 


A  LIE  always  needs  a  truth  for  a  handle  to  it,  else 
the  hand  would  cut  itself  which  sought  to  drive 
it  home  upon  another.  The  worst  lies,  therefore, 
are  those  whose  blade  is  false,  but  whose  handle 
is  true. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  21 

THOSE  who  exalt  sentimental  religion,  and  ignore 
practical,  ethical  life,  are  like  men  who  would 
improve  ship  architecture  by  cutting  away  the  hull 
till  it  is  no  larger  than  a  shingle,  and  spreading  the 
sails  till  they  are  as  big  as  the  whole  harbor.  Every 
leaf  must  have  a  root  which  goes  deep  into  the 
ground,  and  every  sentimental  blossom  must  have 
an  ethical  support. 


IN  this  world,  full  often,  our  joys  are  only  the 
tender  shadows  which  our  sorrows  cast. 


THE  cares  and  infelicities  of  life,  which  are  spoken 
of  as  "  hinderances  to  grace,"  may  be  hinderances, 
but  they  are  the  only  helps  it  has  in  this  world. 
The  voice  of  provocation  is  the  voice  of  God  calling 
us  to  the  practice  of  patience. 

A  man  in  old  age  is  like  a  sword  in  a  shop  win- 
dow. Men  that  look  upon  the  perfect  blade  do  not 
imagine  the  process  by  which  it  was  completed. 
Man  is  a  sword.  Daily  life  is  the  workshop,  and 
God  is  the  artificer,  and  those  cares  which  beat 
him  upon  the  anvil,  and  file  his  edge,  and  eal  in, 
acid-like,  the  inscription  upon  his  hilt,  —  these  are 
the  very  things  that  fashion  the  man. 


22  LIFE    THOUGHTS. - 

THE  call  to  religion  is  not  a  call  to  be  better  than 
your  fellows,  but  to  be  better  than  yourself.  Re- 
ligion is  relative  to  the  individual. 


MANY  professing  Christians  are  like  railroad  sta- 
tion houses,  and  the  wicked  are  whirled  indiffer- 
ently by  them,  and  go  on  their  way  forgetting  them ; 
whereas  they  should  be  like  switches,  taking 
sinners  off  one  track,  and  putting  them  on  to 
another. 


THERE  ought  to  be  such  an  atmosphere  in  every 
Christian  church,  that  a  man  going  there  and  sit- 
ting two  hours  should  take  the  contagion  of  heaven, 
and  carry  home  a  fire  to  kindle  the  altar  whence  he 
came. 

MANY  persons  come  to  the  right  point  in  conver- 
sion, but  they  never  shove  off.  I  question  them 
about  their  state,  and  I  find  all  as  it  should  be  ;  but 
they  are  waiting  for  something,  they  know  not 
what  —  standing  still  in  thought  and  feeling. 

If  you  wind  up  the  weights  of  a  clock,  and  point 
the  hands  to  the  proper  figures,  and  go  away,  you 
will  find  them  in  the  same  place  when  you  return 
an  hour  after.  Set  it  again,  and  an  hour  later  it 


L1FETHOUGHTS.  23 

will  be  as  you  left  it.  What  does  it  need  ?  It  needs 
to  have  the  pendulum  swing,  and  then  it  will  keep 
time.  Now,  I  am  continually  setting  Christians  ; 
and  when  I  look  again,  I  find  them  just  where  I 
left  them.  What  all  such  need  is  to  swing  the 
pendulum  of  active  duties,  and  life  expression  of 
thoughts  and  feelings.  Your  hearts  must  be  always 
ticking,  if  you  would  have  them  keep  time  with 
the  sun  of  righteousness. 


A  MAN  will  confess  sins  in  general ;  but  those  sins 
which  he  would  not  have  his  neighbor  know  for  his 
right  hand,  which  bow  him  down  with  shame  like  a 
wind-stricken  bulrush,  those  he  passes  over  in  his 
prayer.  Men  are  willing  to  be  thought  sinful  in 
disposition ;  but  in  special  acts  they  are  disposed  to 
praise  themselves.  They  therefore  confess  their 
depravity  and  defend  their  conduct.  They  are 
wrong  in  general,  but  right  in  particular. 


I  THINK  the  wickedest  people  on  earth  are  those 
who  use  a  force  of  genius  to  make  themselves  self- 
ish in  the  noblest  things ;  keeping  themselves  aloof 
from  the  vulgar,  and  the  ignorant,  and  the  un- 
known ;  rising  higher  and  higher  in  taste,  till  they 


24  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

sit,  ice  upon  ice,  on  the  mountain  top  of  eternal 
congelation. 

Now,  as  we  ascend  the  hills  of  improvement,  those 
who  are  poor  and  needy  are  not  to  hear  our  voices 
chanting  ever  farther  and  farther  in  the  distance. 
No  !  by  our  singing  we  are  to  win  others  upward  to 
the  same  heights  to  which  we  aspire. 


THE  superfluous  blossoms  on  a  fruit  tree  are 
meant  to  symbolize  the  large  way  in  which  God 
loves  to  do  pleasant  things. 


WHEN  my  blood  flows  like  wine,  when  all  is  ease 
and  prosperity,  when  the  sky  is  blue,  and  birds  sing, 
and  flowers  blossom,  and  my  life  is  an  anthem  mov- 
ing in  time  arid  tune^  —  then  this  world's  joy  and 
affection  suffice.  But  when  a  change  comes,  when 
I  am  weary  and  disappointed,  when  the  skies  lower 
into  the  sombre  night,  when  there  is  no  song  of 
bird,  and  the  perfume  of  flowers  is  but  their  dying 
breath,  when  all  is  sunsetting  arid  autumn,  then  I 
yearn  for  Him  who  sits  with  the  summer  of  love 
in  his  soul,  and  feel  that  all  earthly  affection  is  but 
a  glow-worm  light,  compared  to  that  which  blazes 
with  such  effulgence  in  the  heart  of  God. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  25 

I  THINK  half  the  troubles  for  which  men  go  douch- 
ing in  prayer  to  God  are  caused  by  their  intolerable 
pride.  Many  of  our  cares  are  but  a  morbid  way 
of  looking  at  our  privileges.  We  let  our  blessings 
get  mouldy,  and  then  call  them  curses. 


IF  you  wished  to  look  at  a  portrait  of  Raphael's, 
what  would  you  think  to  see  only  the  forehead  un- 
covered, and  then  only  the  eyes,  and  so  on,  until  all 
the  features  had  been  separately  seen  ?  Could  you 
gain  a  true  idea  of  the  picture  as  a  whole  ?  Yet 
this  is  the  way  men  look  at  the  picture  of  Christ  in 
the  Gospels,  reading  a  few  verses  and  mottoes  here 
and  there,  and  never  considering  the  life  in  its 
wholeness  and  harmony. 


You  are  to  accept  as  a  Christian  every  one  whose 
life  and  disposition  are  Christ-like,  no  matter  how 
heretical  the  denomination  may  be  to  which  he  be- 
longs. 

Wherever  you  find  faith,  and  righteousness, 
and  love,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  you  are 
to  look  upon  them  as  the  stamped  coin  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  and  as  a  legal  tender  from  God  to 
you. 

3 


26  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

I  HAVE  heard  men  teach  that  God  has  a  right  to 
glorify  himself,  and  to  appropriate  every  thing  to 
his  own  delight  —  a  doctrine  which  is  shocking,  and 
which  represents  him  as  living  in  almighty  selfish- 
ness. Can  we  believe  that  he  sits,  self-poised,  in 
eternity,  admiring  his  own  perfections  and  singing 
his  own  joys,  when,  against  this,  with  regard  to 
man,  the  whole  Bible  fulminates  ? 


IT  is  neither  the  vote  nor  the  laying  on  of  hands 
that  gives  men  the  right  to  preach.  One's  own 
heart  is  authority.  If  one  wishes  to,  and  can,  let 
him,  though  all  church  courts  forbid.  If  he  cannot 
preach  to  edification,  he  is  not  authorized,  though 
all  the  ministers  in  Christendom  ordain  him.  Any 
one  who  has  a  bell  in  him,  that,  ringing,  will  ring 
with  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord,"  is  a  preacher. 


ASTRONOMERS  have  built  telescopes  which  can 
;how  myriads  of  stars  unseen  before ;  but  when  a 
<nan  looks  through  a  tear  in  his  own  eye,  that  is  a 
lens  which  opens  reaches  in  the  unknown,  and  re- 
veals orbs  which  no  telescope,  however  skilfully 
constructed,  could  do  ;  nay,  which  brings  to  view 
even  the  throne  of  God,  and  pierces  that  nebulous 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  27 

distance  where  are  those  eternal  verities  in  which 
true  life  consists. 


WHEN  the  church,  is  cold  and  dead,  those  hymns 
which  were  written  by  God's  saints  in  moments  of 
rapture,  seem  extravagant,  and  we  walk  over  them 
on  dainty  footsteps  of  taste  ;  but  let  God's  spirit 
come  down  upon  our  hearts,  and  they  are  as  sweet- 
ness on  our  tongues  ;  nay,  all  too  poor  and  meagre 
for  our  emotions ;  for  feeling  is  always  tropical,  and 
seeks  the  most  intense  and  fervid  expression. 


GOING  into  a  village  at  night,  with  the  lights 
gleaming  on  each  side  of  the  street,  in  some  houses 
they  will  be  in  the  basement  and  nowhere  else,  and 
in  others  in  the  attic  and  nowhere  else,  and  in 
others  in  some  middle  chamber ;  but  in  no  house 
will  every  window  gleam  from  top  to  bottom.  So 
is  it  with  men's  faculties.  Most  of  them  are  in 
darkness.  One  shines  here,  and  another  there  ;  but 
there  is  no  man  whose  soul  is  luminous  throughout. 


THE  sun  does  not  shine  for  a  few  trees  and  flow- 
ers, but  for  the  wide  world's  joy.  The  lonely  pine 
on  the  mountain  top  waves  its  scmbre  boughs  and 


28  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

cries,  "  Thou  art  my  sun."  And  the  little  meadow 
violet  lifts  its  cup  of  blue,  and  whispers  with  its 
perfumed  breath,  "  Thou  art  my  sun."  And  the 
grain  in  a  thousand  fields  rustles  in  the  wind,  and 
makes  answer,  "  Thou  art  my  jsun." 

So  God  sits,  effulgent,  in  heaven,  not  for  a  favored 
few,  but  for  the  universe  of  life ;  and  there  is  no 
creature  so  poor  or  so  low  that  he  may  not  look  up 
with  childlike  confidence  and  say,  "  My  Father ! 
thou  art  mine." 

THE  man  who  carries  a  lantern  in  a  dark  night 
can  have  friends  all  around  him,  walking  safely  by 
the  help  of  its  rays,  and  he  not  defrauded.  So  he 
who  has  the  God-given  light  of  hope  in  his  breast 
can  help  on  many  others  in  this  world's  darkness, 
not  to  his  own  loss,  but  to  their  precious  gain. 


THE  abetters  of  slavery  are  weaving  the  thread 
in  the  loom,  but  God  is  adjusting  the  pattern. 
They  are  asses  harnessed  .to  the  chariot  of  Liberty, 
and,  whether  they  will  or  no,  must  draw  it  on. 


THE  fact  that  a  nation  is  growing,  is  God's  own 
charter  of  change. 


LIFE     T  II  0  U  G  II  T  S  .  2(J 

You  never  can  have  congregational  singing,  if 
that  is  all  you  have.  Unless  you  have  singing  in 
the  family  and  singing  in  the  house,  singing  in  the 
shop  and  singing  in  the  street,  singing  every  where, 
until  it  becomes  a  habit,  you  never  can  have  con- 
gregational singing.  It  will  be  like  the  cold  drops, 
half  water,  half  ice,  which  drip  in  March  from  some 
cleft  of  a  rock,  one  drop  here  and  another  there ; 
whereas  it  should  be  like  the  August  shower,  which 
comes  ten  million  drops  at  once,  and  roars  on  the 
roof. 

I  like  to  see  people  sing  when  they  have  to  stop 
in  the  middle  of  the  verse  and  cry  a  little.  I  like 
such  unwritten  rests  and  pauses  in  the  music. 

When  hymns  come  to  the  house  of  God  all  redo- 
lent of  home  associations,  then  singing  will  be  what 
it  ought  to  be  —  social  Christian  worship. 


A  HELPING  word  to  one  in  trouble  is  often  like  a 
switch  on  a  railroad  track  —  but  one  inch  between 
wreck  and  smooth-rolling  prosperity. 


MANY  men  carry  their  conscience  like  a  drawn 
sword,  cutting  this  way  and  that,  in  the  world,  but 
sheathe  it,  and  keep  it  very  soft  and  quiet,  when  it 


30  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

is  turned  within,  thinking  that  a  sword  should  not 
be  allowed  to  cut  its  own  scabbard. 


EVERY  loving  word  that  God  speaks  to  us  acts 
back  again,  and  makes  music  in  his  heart.  He 
never  says,  with  a  scowl,  "  Here  comes  that  poor, 
limping  sinner  again."  The  path  of  the  sinner 
back  to  God  is  brighter  and  brighter  all  the  way  up 
to  the  smile  of  the  face  and  the  touch  of  the  hand ; 
and  that  is  salvation. 


GOD  builds  for  every  sinner,  if  he  will  but  come 
back,  a  highway  of  golden  promises  from  the  depths 
of  degradation  and  sin  clear  up  to  the  Father's 
house. 

No  experience  will  ever  reveal  to  us  what  changes 
are  yet  to  come  to  us,  or  what  new  growth  or  prun- 
ing we  shall  have. 

We  know  not  what  a  day  will  bring  forth.  We 
can  become  familiar  with  a  landscape ;  we  know 
where  to  find  the  waterfall  and  the  shady  ledge, 
where  the  violets  grow  in  spring  and  the  sassafras 
gives  forth  its  odor ;  but  we  never  can  become 
familiar  with  our  life-landscape ;  we  never  can  tell 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  31 

where  we  shall  come  upon  the  shady  dell,  or  where 
the  fountains  will  gush  and  the  birds  sing.  That  is 
with  God. 


GOD  pardons  like  a  mother,  who  kisses  the  offence 
into  everlasting  forgetfulness. 


RAPHAEL  did  well,  and  Phidias  did  well ;  but  it 
is  not  painter  or  sculptor  who  is  making  himself 
most  nobly  immortal.  It  is  he  who  is  making  true 
impressions,  upon  the  mind  of  man ;  frescoes  for 
eternity,  that  will  not  shine  out  till  the  light  of 
heaven  reveals  them;  sculptures,  not  wrought  in 
outward  things,  but  in  the  inward  nature  and  char- 
acter of  the  soul. 

OUR  children  that  die  young  are  like  those  spring 
bulbs  which  have  their  flowers  prepared  beforehand, 
and  have  notlring  to  do  but  to  break  ground,  and 
blossom,  and  pass  away.  Thank  God  for  spring 
flowers  among  men,  as  well  as  among  the  grasses 
of  the  field. 

A  CHRISTIANITY  which  will  not  help  those  who 
are  struggling  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  society 
needs  another  Christ  to  die  for  it. 


32  LIFE     THOUGHTS, 

MEN  plant  prayers  and  endeavors,  and  go  the  next 
day  looking  to  see  if  they  have  borne  graces.  Now, 
God  does  not  send  graces  as  he  sends  light  and  rain, 
but  they  are  wrought  in  us  through  long  days  of 
discipline  and  growth.  Acorns  and  graces  sprout 
quickly,  but  grow  long  before  ripening. 


IF  any  of  you  should  die  to-day,  could  you  say  to 
God,  "  Lord,  here  is  my  life  work.  Thou  didst 
send  me  into  life  with  a  handful  of  seeds,  and  here 
is  my  heart,  like  a  garden,  full  of  flowers  "  ? 


THE  clearest  window  that  ever  was  fashioned,  if 
it  is  barred  by  spider's  webs,  and  hung  over  with 
carcasses  of  insects,  so  that  the  sunlight  has  for- 
gotten to  find  its  way  through,  of  what  use  can  it 
be  ?  Now,  the  church  is  God's  window ;  and  if  it 
is  so  obscured  by  errors  that  its  light  is  darkness, 
how  great  is  that  darkness  ! 


IF  we  are  the  Lord's,  we  need  not  fear  to  see  our 
treasures  disappear,  to  have  the  cradle  become 
empty,  and  friend  after  friend  fall  away;  for  father, 
and  mother,  and  brother,  and  sister,  and  husband, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  33 

and  wife,  and  child  are  but  sparks  struck  out  from 
God  —  glowing  names  which,  grouped  together, 
mean  God.  So  let  us  take  our  dear  ones  and  en- 
shrine them  in  him,  and  place  them  in  that  crystal 
sphere  where  loss  can  never  come. 


THE  mother's  heart  is  the  child's  school  room. 


WE  are  bound  to  be  the  almoners  of  God's 
bounty  —  not  tax  gatherers,  to  take  away  what 
little  others  have.  As  a  father  stands  in  the  midst 
of  his  household,  and  says,  "  What  is  best  for  my 
children  ? "  so  we  are  to  stand  in  the  world,  and 
say,  "  What  is  best  for  my  brotherhood  ?  " 


WE  say  a  man  is  "  made."  What  do  we  mean  ? 
That  he  has  got  the  control  of  his  lower  instincts, 
so  that  they  are  only  fuel  to  his  higher  feelings, 
giving  force  to  his  nature  ?  That  his  affections 
are  like  vines,  sending  out  on  all  sides  blossoms 
and  clustering  fruits  ?  That  his  tastes  are  so  cul- 
tivated that  all  beautiful  things  speak  to  him,  and 
bring  him  their  delights  ?  That  his  understanding 
is  opened,  so  that  he  walks  through  every  hall  of 


34  LIFETHOUGHTS. 

knowledge,  and  gathers  its  treasures?  That  his 
moral  feelings  are  so  developed  and  quickened, 
that  he  holds  sweet  commerce  with  Heaven  ?  0, 
no  —  none  of  these  things.  He  is  cold  and  dead 
in  heart,  and  mind,  and  soul.  Only  his  passions 
are  alive  ;  but  —  he  is  worth  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars ! 

And  we  say  a  man  is  "  ruined."  Are  his  wife 
and  children  dead  ?  0,  no.  Have  they  had  a 
quarrel,  and  are  they  separated  from  him  ?  0,  no. 
Has  he  lost  his  reputation  through  crime  ?  No. 
Is  his  reason  gone  ?  0,  no  ;  it  is  as  sound  as  ever. 
Is  he  struck  through  with  disease  ?  No.  He  has 
lost  his  property,  and  he  is  ruined.  The  man 
ruined  !  When  shall  we  learn  that  "  a  man's  life 
consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which 
he  possesseth"? 

A  MAN,  in  this  world,  is  a  boy  spelling  in  short 
syllables  ;  but  he  will  combine  them  in  the  next. 


EARTHLY  love  is  a  brief  and  penurious  stream, 
which  only  flows  in  spring,  with  a  long  summer 
drought.  The  change  from  a  burning  desert,  tree- 
less, springless,  drear,  to  green  fields  and  blooming 
orchards  in  June,  is  slight  in  comparison  with  that 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  35 

from  the  desert  of  this  world's  affection  to  the  gar- 
den of  God,  where  there  is  perpetual,  tropical  lux- 
uriance of  blessed  love. 


DEFEAT  is  a  school  in  which  Truth  always  grows 
strong. 

MY  best  presentations  of  the  gospel  to  you  are 
so  incomplete  !  Sometimes,  when  I  am  alone,  I 
have  such  sweet  and  rapturous  visions  of  the  love 
of  God  and  the  truths  of  his  word,  that  I  think,  if  I 
could  speak  to  you  then,  I  should  move  your 
hearts.  I  am  like  a  child,  who,  walking  forth  some 
sunny  summer's  morning,  sees  grass  and  flower  all 
shining  with  drops  of  dew.  "  0,"  he  cries,  "  I'll 
carry  these  beautiful  things  to  my  mother."  And, 
eagerly  plucking  them,  the  dew  drops  into  his  little 
palm,  and  all  the  charm  is  gone.  There  is  but 
grass  in  his  hand,  and  no  longer  pearls. 


IN  our  own  strength  we  can  do  nothing.  Who 
is  there  that  is  not  tired  of  climbing  up  the  black 
face  of  the  cliff  of  Resolution,  to  fall  back  again, 
day  after  day,  upon  the  shore  ?  They  who  gain 
their  subsistence  by  searching  for  nests  along  dan- 


36  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

gerons  heights  search  with  their  waists  girdled  with 
a  cord  let  down  from  above,  thut,  if  they  slip,  they 
shall  not  fall  and  be  lost.  We  need  God's  golden 
cords  and  bands  of  promises,  reaching  from  heaven, 
to  enable  us  to  defy  stumbling  or  downfall.  "  Cast 
down,  but  not  destroyed." 


SUCCESS  is  full  of  promise  till  men  get  it ;  and 
then  it  is  a  last  year's  nest,  from  which  the  bird  has 
flown. 


No  man  can  go  down  into  the  dungeon  of  his 
experience,  and  hold  the  torch  of  God's  word  to 
all  its  dark  chambers,  and  hidden  cavities,  and 
slirny  recesses,  and  not  come  up  with  a  shudder 
and  a  chill,  and  an  earnest  cry  to  God  for  divine 
mercy  and  cleansing. 


THE  most  miserable  pettifogging  in  the  world  is 
that  of  a  man  in  the  court  of  his  own  conscience. 


A  MAN  in  the  right,  with  God  on  his  side,  is  in 
the  majority,  though  he  be  alone,  for  God  is  multi- 
tudinous above  all  populations  of  the  earth. 


LIFET  II  OUGHTS.  37 

MEN  think  religion  bears  the  same  relation  to  life 
that  flowers  do  to  trees.  The  tree  must  grow 
through  a  long  period  before  the  blossoming  time ; 
so  they  think  religion  is  to  be  a  blossom  just  before 
death,  to  secure  Leaven.  But  the  Bible  represents 
religion,  not  as  the  latest  fruit  of  life,  but  as  the 
whole  of  it  —  beginning,  middle,  and  end.  It  is 
simply  right  living-. 


GREAT  powers  and  natural  gifts  do  not  bring 
privileges  to  their  possessor,  so  much  as  they  bring 
duties. 

GOD  designed  men  to  grow  as  trees  grow  in  open 
pastures,  full-boughed  all  around ;  but  men  in  so- 
ciety grow  like  trees  in  forests,  tall  and  spindling, 
the  lower  ones  overshadowed  by  the  higher,  with 
only  a  little  branching,  and  that  at  the  top.  They 
borrow  of  each  other  the  power  to  stand ;  and  if 
the  forest  be  cleared,  and  one  be  left  alone,  the  first 
wind  which  comes  uproots  it. 


WE  go  to  the  grave  of  a  friend,  saying,  "  A  man 
is  dead ; "  but  angels  throng  about  him,  saying, 
"  A  man  is  born." 
4 


38  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

THE  German  Protestant  declared,  "  I  have  rights 
as  against  the  church."  The  Puritan  Protestant 
declared,  "  I  have  rights  asL  against  government." 
The  Independent  or  Congregational  Protestant  de- 
clared, "  I  have  rights  as  against  civil  governments, 
church  governments,  and  all  mankind.  Neither 
the  multitudes  nor  the  organized  few  can  take  from 
me  what  God  gave,  and  I  will  preserve."  These 
were  the  three  great  strides  which  landed  on  Plym- 
outh Rock. 


WHEN  your  mind  and  heart  are  in  such  a  state 
that  praying  is  pushing  a  prayer  through,  like  driv- 
ing a  wedge  into  a  log,  do  you  call  it  religion  ?  It 
is  as  when  youf  child,  red-faced  and  choking  with 
passion,  is  held  up  by  the  servant  to  kiss  you.  He 
comes  because  he  is  pushed ;  and  do  you  call  that 
love? 

WHETHER  they  shall  confess  their  faults  or  not, 
men  generally  leave  to  their  moods,  and  not  to  their 
principles. 

FOR  four  thousand  years  the  strong  had  been 
rushing  on  in  the  road  of  privilege  and  power, 
seeking  greatness.  Christ  stood  in  the  path,  and 
said, ."  Ye  seek  greatness.  Ye  are  not  even  in  the 


-LIFE     THOUGHTS.  39 

way  to  it.  Ye  arc  going  up,  but  the  way  to  great- 
ness is  down.  Let  him  who  would  be  great  be  the 
love-servant  of  all."  Greatness  consists  in  the  fa- 
cility and  power  of  going  down,  and  not  in  the 
facility  of 'going  up. 


A  MAN  ought  to  carry  himself  in  the  world  as 
an  orange  tree  would  if  it  could  walk  up  and  down 
in  the  garden  —  swinging  perfume  from  every  little 
censer  it  holds  up  to  the  air. 


WHEREVER  Presbyterianism  has  existed,  it  has 
always  been  found  a  strong  defender  of  liberty. 
Wherever  Congregationalism  has  existed,  it  has 
always  been  the  propagator  of  liberty.  The  one 
builds  granaries  ;  and  no  rat  nor  mouse  shall  nib- 
ble the  wheat  there.  The  other  throws  the  store- 
house doors  wide  open,  and  saying,  "  The  field  is 
the  world,"  it  scatters  the  grain  broadcast  over  the 
earth. 

Presbyterianism  has  been  a  port  in  which  liberty 
has  taken  refuge  ;  a  bulwark,  behind  which  it  has 
been  protected.  Congregationalism  is  an  army, 
well  equipped  and  disciplined,  bearing  right  down 
on  the  enemy  and  taking  possession  of  new  territory. 


40  LIFE-    THOUGHTS. 

How  many  hopes  have  quivered  for  us  in  past 
years  —  have  flashed  like  harmless  lightnings  in 
summer  nights,%  and  died  forever ! 

Memory  can  glean,  but  can  never  renew.  It 
brings  us  joys  faint  as  is  the  perfume  of  the  flowers, 
faded  and  dried,  of  the  summer  that  is  gone. 


THE  Puritan  ideas  were  not  seen  to  be  of  much 
value  when  they  were  first  made  known.  They  were 
like  lands  left  by  a  father  to  infant  children,  which, 
when  the  children  are  of  age,  have  become  so  valu- 
able as  to  enrich  them  all.  When  the  Puritan  died, 
the  property  had  not  appreciated ;  but  since  then  it 
has  risen  in  value  so  that  we  have  built  this  nation 
with  it;  and  still  it  has  not  run  out,  at  least  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  country. 


THERE  are  many  troubles  which  you  cannot  cure 
by  the  Bible  and  the  Hymn  Book,  but  which  you 
can  cure  by  a  good  perspiration  and  a  breath  of 
fresh  air. 

THERE  is  no  system  which  equals  Calvinism  in 
intensifying  to  the  last  degree,  ideas  of  moral  excel- 
lence and  purity  of  character.  There  never  was  a 


'LIFE     THOUGHTS..  4\ 

system  since  the  world  stood  which  puts  upon  man 
such  motives  to  holiness,  or  which  builds  batteries 
that  sweep  the  whole  ground  of  sin  with  such  hor- 
rible artillery.  In  its  tendency  to  create  strong 
individualism,  which  is  the  foundation  of  liberty, 
and  to  make  men  let  each  other  alone,  and  say, 
"  Stand  back !  the  man  is  striving  for  his  soul ; 
put  no  obstacle  in  his  way,"  —  in  both  these  direc- 
tions Calvinism  has  always  worked  for  liberty. 


WE  look  down  at  our  fellows  as  the  eagle  looks 
over  the  edge  of  the  cliff  at  the  mice  which  crawl 
so  far  below  him.  This  is  the  selfishness  of  the 
moral  nature.  Our  gifts  and  attainments  are  not 
only  to  be  light  and  warmth  in  our  own  dwellings, 
but  are  as  well  to  shine  through  the  window,  into 
the  dark  night,  to  guide  and  cheer  bewildered 
travellers  upon  the  road. 


WE  ought  to  love  life ;  we  ought  to  desire  to  live 
here  so  long  as  God  ordains  it ;  but  let  us  not  so 
encase  ourselves  in  time  that  we  cannot  break  the 
crust  and  begin  to  throw  out  shoots  for  the  other 
life. 

4* 


42  .LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

As  it  is  only  now  and  then  that  we  have  a  land- 
slide, while  we  are  continually  annoyed  by  the  dust 
which  sifts  in  at  every  crack,  and  door,  and  win- 
dow, so  it  is  only  now  and  then  that  we  have  a 
crashing  trouble,  while  we  are  perpetually  annoyed 
by  little  daily  cares  and  vexations. 


LET  it  be  understood  that  the  end  of  our  existence 
here  is  that  we  may  be  more  God-like ;  and  may 
we  know  that  we  shall  become  so  by  being  more 
manly  in  the  world,  and  that  we  are  placed  here  to 
grow  strong  and  noble,  and  not  merely  to  enjoy. 


THE  most  dangerous  infidelity  of  the  day  is  the 
infidelity  of  rich  and  orthodox  churches. 


IN  the  earlier  ages  of  New  England,  the  state 
was  nothing  but  Congregationalism  in  civil  affair?, 
and  the  church  was  nothing  but  republicanism 
carried  into  religious  affairs.  They  reflected  each 
other. 

New  Englandism  is  but  another  word  for  Pnri- 

0 

tanism  in  the  Independent  scnre,  and  that  is  but 
another  word  for  New  Testamentism. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  4S 

EVERY  Saturday  evening  lias  to  my  ear  a  gentle 
knell.  The  week  tolls  itself  away  ;  the  first,  second, 
third,  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  and  the  perfect  seventh, 
and  I  can  almost  hear  them  beating  a  melodious 
measure  as  they  recede. 

Time  does  not  end  all  at  once.  It  is  ending,  in 
part,  every  day,  and  hour,  and  moment.  And 
when  the  angel  shall  lift  up  his  hand,  and  swear  by 
Him  who  liveth  forever  that  it  shall  be  no  longer, 
the  years  which  are  past  will  not  then  have  ended 
more  than  now. 


IN  the  morning,  we  carry  the  world,  like  Atlas  ; 
at  noon,  we  stoop  and  bend  beneath  it ;  and  at 
night,  it  crushes  us  flat  to  the  ground. 


GOD'S  word  is  sometimes  to  us  like  a  magic 
writing  which  has  faded  out  and  become  invisible, 
and  then,  at  other  times,  the  lines  reappear,  and  it 
flashes  for  us  with  a  divine  meaning. 


You  need  not  break  the  glasses  of  a  telescope,  or 
coat  them  over  with  paint,  in  order  to  prevent  you 
from  seeing  through  them.  Just  breathe  upon 
them,  and  the  dew  of  your  breath  will  shut  out  all 


44  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

the  stars.  So  it  does  not  require  great  crimes  to 
hide  the  light  of  God's  countenance.  Little  faults 
can  do  it  just  as  well.  Take  a  shield,  and  cast  a 
spear  upon  it,  and  it  will  leave  in  it  one  great  dent. 
Prick  it  all  over  with  a  million  little  needle  shafts, 
and  they  will  take  the  polish  from  it  far  more  than 
the  piercing  of  the  spear.  So  it  is  not  so  much 
the  great  sins  which  take  the  freshness  from  our 
consciences,  as  the  numberless  petty  faults  which 
we  are  all  the  while  committing. 


HISTORY  is  a  mighty,  thundering  declaration  of 
the  falsity  of  the  sentiment  that  God  is  not  a  God 
who  will  let  men  suffer.  The  history  of  the  world 
•is  all  suffering. 

IF  I  am  working  beside  a  man,  and  I  see  that  he 
tries  to  shirk  and  shift  his  labor  upon  me,  I  am 
angry  with  him.  But  if  he  says  to  me,  "I  am 
wounded,  and  cannot  work,"  or,  "  I  am  lame,"  or 
"  sick,"  then  the  thought  comes  to  me  at  once, 
"You  shall  not  work ;  I  will  help  you."  And  so 
if  a  man  says  to  us,  "  I  know  I  did  wrong ;  but  I 
am  weak.  Blame  me  as  little  as  you  can,  but  help 
me  as  much  as  you  can,"  that  very  confession  dis- 
arms us,  and  we  think  better  of  him  than  we  did 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  45 

before.  Therefore  it  is  that  God  so  exhorts  us  to 
confess  our  sins  to  him.  God  is  like  us  to  this  ex- 
tent, that  whatever  in  us  is  good  is  like  God. 


WHEN  engineers  would  bridge  a  stream,  they 
often  carry  over  at  first  but  a  single  cord.  With 
that,  next,  they  stretch  a  wire  across.  Then  strand 
is  added  to  strand  until  a  foundation  is  laid  for 
planks ;  and  now  the  bold  engineer  finds  safe 
footway,  and  walks  from  side  to  side.  So  God 
takes  from  us  some  golden-threaded  pleasure,  and 
stretches  it  hence  into  heaven.  Then  he  takes  a 
child,  and  then  a  friend.  Thus  he  bridges  death, 
and  teaches  the  thoughts  of  the  most  timid  to  find 
their  way  hither  and  thither  between  the  shores. 


ANY  feeling  that  takes  a  man  away  from  his  home, 
is  a  traitor  to  the  household. 


WHEN  I  see  how  much  has  been  written  of  those 
who  have  lived ;  how  the  Greeks  preserved  every 
saying  of  Plato's  ;  how  Boswell  followed  Johnson^ 
gathering  up  every  leaf  that  fell  from  that  rugged 
old  oak,  and  pasting  it  away,  —  I  almost  regret  that 


46  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

one  of  the  disciples  had  not  been  a  recording  angel, 
to  preserve  the  odor  and  richness  of  every  word  of 
Christ.  When  John  says,  "  And  there  are  also 
many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if 
they  should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that 
even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books 
that  should  be  written,"  it  affects  me  more  pro- 
foundly than  when  I  think  of  the  destruction  of 
the  Alexandrian  Library,  or  the  perishing  of  Gre- 
cian art  in  Athens  or  Byzantium.  The  creations 
of  Phidias  were  cold  stone,  overlaid  by  warm 
thought;  but  Christ  described  his  own  creations 
when  he  said,  "  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you, 
they  are  life."  The  leaving  out  of  these  things 
from  the  New  Testament,  though  divinely  wise, 
seems,  to  my  yearning,  not  so  much  the  unaccom- 
plishment  of  noble  things,  as  the  destruction  of 
great  treasures,  which  had  already  had  oral  life, 
but  failed  of  incarnation  in  literature. 


A  CHURCH  under  the  influence  of  veneration, 
merely,  is  a  court  house ;  and  the  judge  sits  there, 
and  cold  officers  are  standing  by  him,  and  men  are 
waiting  to  receive  their  sentence.  God's  church  is 
God's  house  ;  and  God's  house  is  our  home  ;  and  a 
Christian  home  ought  to  be  bright,  cheerful,  and 


LIFET  II  OUGHTS.  47 

happy.  When  God  is  the  entertainer  of  his  people, 
he  thanks  no  man  for  "  dim,  religious  light,"  or  for 
casting  forth  the  flowers,  and  extinguishing  the 
lamps  of  hope  and  joy  in  the  sanctuary. 


THERE  are  two  classes  of  people  in  the  church  : 
the  religionists,  who  love  God  by  trying  to  do  right; 
and  the  Christians,  who  are  inspired  to  do  right  by 
loving  God. 


the  filial  feeling  is  breathed  into  the 
heart,  the  soul  cannot  be  terrified  by  augustness,  or 
justice,  or  any  form  of  divine  grandeur  ;  for  then, 
to  such  an  one,  all  the  attributes  of  God  are  but  so 
many  arms  stretched  abroad  through  the  universe, 
to  gathor  and  to  press  to  his  bosom,  those  whom  he 
loves.  The  greater  he  is,  the  gladder  are  we,  so 
that  he  be  our  Father  still. 

But,  if  one  consciously  turns  away  from  God,  or 
fears  him,  the  nobler  and  grander  the  representa- 
tion be,  the  more  terrible  is  his  conception  of  the 
divine  Adversary  that  frowns  upon  him.  The  God 
whom  love  beholds,  rises  upon  the  horizon  like 
mountains  which  carry  summer  up  their  sides  to 
the  very  top  ;  but  that  sternly  just  God  whom  sin- 
ners fear,  stands  cold  against  the  sky,  like  Monf 


48  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

Blanc ;  and  from  his  icy  sides,  the  soul,  quickly 
sliding,  plunges  headlong  down  to  .unrecalled  de- 
struction. 


PUBLIC  sentiment  signifies  the  common  march 
of  good  men's  thoughts.  It  should  be  but  a  road, 
marked  plain,  that  men  may  know  the  way  to 
travel;  but,  instead  of  this,  public  sentiment  is 
employed  sometimes  as  a  bribe  to  stop  free  think- 
ing ;  as  an  intimidation  to  check  free  acting ;  as  a 
bauble  to  lure  approbativeness,  or  as  a  threatened 
fool's  cap  with  which  to  terrify  it.  The  virtues 
which  public  sentiment  drills  into  cowards,  may  be 
of  great  benefit  to  society,  but  are  of  little  credit 
to  the  men  upon  whom  they  are  dragooned. 


ALL  human  affairs  follow  nature's  great  analogue, 
the  growth  of  vegetation.  There  are  three  periods 
of  growth  in  every  plant.  The  first,  and  slowest, 
is  the  invisible  growth  by  the  root ;  the  second,  and 
much  accelerated,  is  the  visible  growth  by  the 
stem  ;  Jnit  when  root  and  stem  have  gathered  their 
forces,  there  comes  the  third  period,  in  which  the 
plant  quickly  flashes  into  blossom  and  rushes  into 
fruit. 

The  beginnings  of  moral  enterprises  in  this  world 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  .  49 

arc  never  to  be  measured  by  any  apparent  growth. 
The  root  is  always  concealed  by  the  very  soil  which 
gives  it  life,  and  in  which  it  spreads  and  hides. 
Then  comes  the  middle  period,  in  which  it  contends 
with  opposing  elements,  but  grows  by  the  very 
things  that  would  destroy  it,  as  plants  do  by  the 
winds  that  would  prostrate  them.  At  length  comes 
the  sudden  ripeness  and  the  full  success,  and  lie 
who  is  called  in  at  the  final  moment  deems  this 
success  his  own.  He  is  but  the  reaper,  and  not  the 
laborer.  Other  men  sowed  and  tilled,  and  he  but 
enters  into  their  labors.  Before  the  time  of  Christ 
the  world  grew  by  the  root ;  since  that  time  until 
now  it  has  grown  by  the  stem ;  but  ten  thousand 
swelling  buds  of  promise  and  of  prophecy  do  now 
declare  the  time  near  at  hand  for  flowers  and  fruits. 
Henceforth  the  world  makes  haste. 


GOD  washes  the  eyes  by  tears  until  they  can  behold 
the  invisible  land  where  tears  shall  come  no  more. 
0  Love !  0  Affliction  !  Ye  are  the  guides  that 
show  us  the  way  through  the  great  airy  space  where 
our  loved  ones  walked ;  and,  as  hounds  easily  fol- 
low the  scent  before  the  dew  be  risen,  so  God 
teaches  us,  while  yet  'our  sorrow  is  wet,  to  follow 
on  and  find  our  dear  ones  in  heaven. 
5 


50  .  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

THERE  are  some  days  when  a  man's  thoughts 
seem  to  be  as  distinct  from  his  personality  as  sparks 
are  from  the  chimney  of  a  winter's  forge,  streaming 
forth  at  night ;  or  as  birds  are  distinct  from  the  trees 
from  out  of  which  they  fly.  Nor,  if  the  mood  be 
happy,  are  they  indeed  much  unlike  birds,  when,  in 
a  feathery  fury  of  delight,  with  a  hundred  songs  of 
melodious  dissonance,  they  sitting  sing,  and  flying 
sing,  and  turn  in  the  air  with  every  fantastic  gy- 
ration. 

'  How  sad  is  that  field  from  which  battle  has  just 
departed  !  By  as  much  as  the  valley  was  exquisite 
in  its  loveliness,  is  it  now  sublimely  sad  in  its  deso- 
lation. Such  to  mevis  the  Bible,  when  a  fighting 
theologian  has  gone  through  it. 

How  wretched  a  spectacle  is  a  garden  into  which 
cloven-footed  beasts  have  entered  !  That  which  yes- 
terday was  fragrant,  and  shone  all  over  with  crowded 
beauty,  is  to-day  rooted,  despoiled,  trampled  and 
utterly  devoured,  and  all  over  the  ground  you  shall 
find  but  the  rejected  cuds  of  flowers,  and  leaves,  and 
forms  that  have  been  champed  for  their  juices  and 
then  rejected.  Such  to  me  is  the  Bible,  when  the 
pragmatic  prophecy-monger  and  the  swinish  utilita- 
rian have  toothed  its  fruits  and  craunched  its  blos- 
soms. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  51 

0  garden  of  the  Lord !  whose  seeds  dropped  down 
from  heaven,  and  to  whom  angels  bear  watering 
dews  night  by  night !  0  flowers  and  plants  of 
righteousness  !  0  sweet  and  holy  fruits  !  we  walk 
among  you,  and  gaze  with  loving  eyes,  and  rest 
under  your  odorous  shadows  ;  nor  will  we,  with  sac- 
rilegious Jiand,  tear  you,  that  we  may  search  the 
secret  of  your  roots,  nor  spoil  you,  that  we  may 
know  how  such  wondrous  grace  and  goodness  are 
evolved  within  you ! 


THE  voyage  of  life  should  be  right  across  the 
ocean,  whose  waters  never  shrink,  and  where  the 
keel  never  rubs  the  bottom.  But  men  are  afraid  to 
venture,  and  hang  upon  the  coast,  and  explore  la- 
goons, or  swing  at  anchor  in  wind-sheltered  bays. 
Some  men  put  their  keel  into  riches,  some  into  sen- 
suous pleasure,  some  into  friendship,  and  all  these 
are  shallow  for  any  thing  that  draws  as  deep  as  the 
human  soul  does.  God's  work  in  each  age,  indi- 
cated by  the  great  movements  of  his  providence,  is 
the  only  thing  deep  enough  for  the  heart.  We 
ought  to  begin  life  as  at  the  source  of  a  river,  grow- 
ing deeper  every  league  to  the  sea ;  whereas,  in  fact, 
thousands  are  like  men  who  enter  the  mouths  of 
rivers  and  sail  upwards,  finding  less  and  less  water 


52  LIFETHOUGHTS.         • 

every  day;  and  in.  old  age  they  lie  shrunk  and 
gaping  upon  dry  gravel. 


GREATNESS  lies  not  in  being  strong,  but  in  the 
right  using  of  strength  ;  and  strength  is  not  used 
rightly  when  it  only  serves  to  carry  a  mfin  above 
his  fellows  for  his  own  solitary  glory.  He  is  great- 
est whose  strength  carries  up  the  most  hearts  by 
the  attraction  of  his  own. 


THERE  is  a  reason  why  students  prefer  the  night 
to  the  day  for  their  labors.  Through  the  day  their 
thoughts  are  diverted  into  a  thousand  streams ;  but 
at  night  they  settle  into  pools,  which,  deep  and  un- 
disturbed, reflect  the  stars.  But  night  labor,  in 
time,  will  destroy  the  student ;  for  it  is  marrow  from 
his  own  bones  with  which  he  fills  his  lamp. 


LOVE  is  God's  loaf;  and  this  is  that  feeding  for 
which  we  are  taught  to  pray,  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread." 

A  CUNNING  man  overreaches  no  one  half  so  much 
as  himself. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  63 

GOD  has  appointed  certain  insects,  birds,  and 
beasts  to  be  destroyers.  They  consume  decaying 
matters ;  they  roll  up  and  feast  on  filth.  To  their 
palate  life  is  unseasoned  and  insipid,  but  death  has 
flavor.  Such,  also,  are  minor  critics  in  literature, 
cynics  in  morals,  and  heresy-hunters  in  religion. 


SECTS  and  Christians  that  desire  to  be  known  by 
the  undue  prominence  of  some  single  feature  of 
Christianity,  are  necessarily  imperfect  just  in  pro- 
portion to  the  distinctness  of  their  peculiarities. 
The  power  of  Christian  truth  is  in  its  unity  and 
symmetry,  and  not  in  the  saliency  or  brilliancy  of 
any  of  its  special  doctrines.  If  among  painters  of 
the  human  face  and  form  there  should  spring  up  a 
sect  of  the  eyes,  and  another  sect  of  the  nose,  a  sect 
of  the  hand,  and  a  sect  of  the  foot,  and  all  of  them 
should  agree  but  in  the  one  thing  of  forgetting  that 
there  was  a  living  spirit  behind  the  features  more 
important  than  them  all,  they  would  too  much  re- 
semble the  schools  and  cliques  of  Christians,  for  the 
spirit  of  Christ  is  the  great  essential  truth  ;  doc- 
trines are  but  the  features  of  the  face,  and  ordi- 
nances but  the  hands  and  feet. 

It  would  almost  seem  as  if  there  were  a  certain 
drollery  of  art  which  leads  men  who  think  they  are 


54  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

doing  one  thing  to  do  another  and  very  different 
one.  Thus  men  have  set  up  in  their  painted  church 
windows  the  symbolisms  of  virtues  and  graces,  and 
the  images  of  saints,  and  even  of  divinity  itself. 
Yet  now,  what  docs  the  window  do  but  mock  the 
separations  and  proud  isolations  of  Christian  men  ? 
For  there  sit  the  audience,  each  one  taking  a  sepa- 
rate color,  and  there  are  blue  Christians  and  red 
Christians,  there  are  yellow  saints  and  orange  saints, 
there  are  purple  Christians  and  green  Christians; 
but  how  few  are  simple,  pure,  white  Christians,  unit- 
ing all  the  cardinal  graces,  and  proud,  not  of  sepa- 
rate colors,  but  of  the  whole  manhood  of  Christ ! 


WHEN  laws,  customs,  or  institutions  cease  to  be 
beneficial  to  man,  they  cease  to  be  obligatory. 


THE  strength  of  a  man  consists  in  finding  out  the 
way  in  which  God  is  going,  and  going  in  that  way 
too.  For  God  goes  before  and  ploughs,  and  we  can 
but  follow  after  and  plant  our  seed  in  his  furrow. 


THE  variableness  of  Christian  moods  is  often  a 
matter   of  great   and   unnecessary   suffering;   but 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  55 

Christian  life  docs  not  follow  the  changes  of  feel- 
ing. Our  feelings  are  but  the  torch  ;  and  our  life 
is  the  man  that  carries  it.  The  wind  that  flares 
the  flame  does  not  make  the  man  waver.  The  flame 
may  sway  hither  and  thither,  but  he  holds  liis 
course  straight  on.  Thus,  pftcn times,  it  is,  that  our 
Christian  hopes  are  carried  as  one  carries  a  lighted 
candle  through  the  windy  street,  that  seems  never 
to  be  so  nearly  blown  out  as  when  we  step  through 
the  open  door,  and  in  a  moment  we  are  safe  within. 
Our  wind-blown  feelings  rise  and  fall  through  all 
our  life,  and  the  draught  of  death  threatens  quite 
to  extinguish  them ;  but,  one  moment  more,  and 
they  shall  rise  and  forever  shine  serenely  in  the 
unstormed  air  of  heaven. 


I  THINK  we  ought  to  buoy  for  ourselves  in  our 
course,  as  we  buoy  a  harbor.  Off  this  shoal  a  black 
buoy  floats,  and  says  to  those  who  sail  by,  as  plainly 
as  if  it  spoke  in  all  languages,  "  Keep  to  the  right 
here  ; "  and  over  against  it  floats  another,  and^says, 
"  Keep  to  the  left  here."  Now,  in  life's  ocean, 
wherever  we  know  the  quicksands  are,  wherever  we 
have  once  been  stranded,  let  us  sink  the  buoy  and 
anchor  of  memory,  and  keep  to  the  right  or  the 
left,  as  the  shoal  may  be.  * 


56  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

MANY  pray  to  be  made  "  men  in  Christ  Jesus," 
and  think  in  some  miraculous  way  it  will  be  given 
to  them ;  but  God  says,  "  I  will  try  my  child,  and 
see  if  he  is  sincere,"  and  so  he  lays  a  burden  upon 
him,  and  says,  "  Now  stand  up  under  it,  for  thus 
you  are  to  grow  strong.'/  He  sends  a  provocation, 
and  says  to  him,  "  Be  patient."  He  throws  him 
into  perplexities,  and  says,  "  Where  now  are  thy 
resources  ?  "  If  the  ambitious  ore  dreads  the  fur- 
nace, the  forge,  the  anvil,  the  rasp,  and  the  file,  it 
should  never  desire  to  be  made  a  sword.  Man  is  the 
iron,  and  God  is  the  smith  ;  and  we  are  always 
either  in  the  forge  or  on  the  anvil.  God  is  shaping 
us  for  higher  things. 


THERE  are  some  Christians  whose  secular  life  is 
an  arid,  worldly  strife,  and  whose  religion  is  but 
a~  turbid  sentimentalism.  Their  life  runs  along 
that  line  where  the  overflow  of  the  Nile  meets  the 
desert.  It  is  the  boundary  line  between  sand  and 
mud. 


NATURE  inspires  us  with  a  love  of  life,  but  can 
never  teach  us  how  to  die.  God  would  win  us  into 
death  as  the  sun  wins  buds  into  blossoms.  I  often 
hear  Christians  speaking  of  a  desire  to  die,  that 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  57 

they  may  be  free  from  the  troubles  of  life ;  and 
they  seem  to  me  like  birds  that  fly  out  of  the  tree 
frightedly,  on  account  of  noises  which  they  hear 
beneath.  But  true  Christians,  it  seems  to  me, 
should  be  like  birds  upon  the  sunset-top,  stooping 
with  half-opened  wings,  as  if  they  heard  the  call  of 
other  birds  in  distant  forests,  and  flew  on  purpose, 
aiid  joyfully,  to  find  their  mates. 


IP  you  can  find  a  place  between  the  throne  of  God 
and  the  dust  to  which  man's  body  crumbles  where 
the  focal  responsibilities  of  law  do  not  weigh  upon 
him,  I  will  find  a  vacuum  in  nature.  They  press 
upon  him  from  God  out  of  eternity,  and  from  the 
earth  out  of  nature,  and  from  every  department  of 
life,  as  constant  and  all-surrounding  as  the  pressure 
of  the  air. 


THERE  is  a  new  word  much  used ;  it  is  ism. 
Every  new  or  more  perfect  application  of  a  Christian 
principle  to  the  life  of  society,  is  called  an  ism,  so 
long  as  men  fight  it,  but  a  glorious  evidence  of  the 
divinity  of  Christianity  as  soon  as  they  are  defeated 
by  it.  Selfish  men  abhor  all  isms  of  benevolence  ; 
proud  men,  all  isms  of  condescension ;  the  griping 
hand  hates  the  open  palm ;  greediness  abhors  moder- 


58  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

ation ;  and  self-love  thinks  the  love  of  others  to  be 
a  spendthrift.  And  thus  it  comes  to  pass  that  isms 
are  found  and  dreaded  almost  only  among  the  great 
humanities  of  the  day.  If  it  be  an  ism  to  uplift 
the  poor ;  to  defend  the  slave ;  to  maintain  every 
where  the  right,  though  to  do  it  overthrows  time- 
honored  institutions,  —  then  God  Almighty  is  the 
Father  of  isms,  and  has  been  propagating  them 
since  the  world  began  ;  and  he  will  lead  the  church 
from  one  ism  to  another,  till  it  stands  in  Zion  and 
before  God. 

WHAT  a  pin  is  when  the  diamond  has  dropped  from 
its  setting,  that  is  the  Bible  when  its  emotive  truths 
have  been  taken  away.  What  a  babe's  clothes  are 
when  the  babe  has  slipped  out  of  them  into  death, 
and  the  mother's  arms  clasp  only  raiment,  would 
be  the  Bible,  if  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  and  the 
truths  of  deep-heartedness  that  clothed  his  life, 
should  slip  out  of  it. 


OUR  humiliations  work  out  our  most  elevated 
joys.  The  way  that  a  drop  of  rain  comes  to  sing 
in  the  leaf  that  rustles  in  the  top  of  the  tree  all 
summer  long,  is  by  going  down  to  the  roots  first, 
and  from  thence  ascending  to  the  bough. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  59 

MANY  children  grow  up  like  plants  under  bell 
glasses.  They  are  surrounded  only  by  artificial 
and  prepared  influences.  They  are  house-bred, 
room-bred,  nurse-bred,  mother-bred  —  every  thing 
but  self-bred.  The  object  of  training  is  to  teach 
the  child  to  take  care  of  himself;  but  many  parents 
use  their  children  only  as  a  kind  of  spool  on  which 
to  reel  off  their  own  experience ;  and  they  are 
bound  and  corded  until  they  perish  by  inanity,  or 
break  all  bonds  and  cords,  and  rush  to  ruin  by 
reaction. 


WE  have  the  promises  of  God  as  thick  as  daisies 
in  summer  meadows,  that  death,  which  men  most 
fear,  shall  be  to  us  the  most  blessed  of  experiences, 
if  we  trust  in  him.  Death  is  unclasping;  joy, 
breaking  out  in  the  desert ;  the  heart,  come  to  its 
blossoming  time !  Do  we  call  it  dying  when  the 
bud  bursts  into  flower  ? 


MEN  who  stand  on  any  other  foundation  than  the 
rock  Christ  Jesus  are  like  birds  that  build  in  trees 
by  the  side  of  rivers.  The  bird  sings  in  the 
branches,  and  the  river  sings  below,  but  all  the 
while  the  waters  are  undermining  the  soil  about 
the  roots,  till,  in  some  unsuspected  hour,  the  tree 


60  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

falls  with  a  crash  into  the  stream ;  and  then  its  nest 
is  sunk,  its  home  is  gone,  and  the  bird  is  a  wan- 
derer. But  birds  that  hide  their  young  in  the  clefts 
of  the  rock  are  undisturbed,  and,  after  every  win- 
ter, coming  again,  they  find  their  nests  awaiting 
them,  and  all  their  life  long  brood  the  summer  in 
the  same  places,  impregnable  to  time  or  storm. 


IT  is  one  of  the  worst  effects  of  prosperity  to 
make  a  man  a  vortex  instead  of  a  fountain  ;  so  that, 
instead  of  throwing  out,  he  learns  only  to  draw  in. 


IN  the  first  years  of  a  church,  its  members  are 
willing  to  endure  hardships  and  to  make  great  ex- 
ertions ;  but  when  once  it  is  prosperous,  they  desire 
to  take  their  ease ;  as  one  who  builds  a  ship  is 
willing  to  work  all  the  way  from  keel  to  deck,  un- 
til she  is  launched  ;  thenceforward,  he  expects  the 
ocean  to  buoy  him  up,  and  the  winds  to  bear  him 
on.  The  youth-time  of  churches  produces  enter- 
prise ;  their  age,  indolence.  But  even  this  might  be 
borne,  did  not  these  dead  men  sit  in  the  door  of 
their  sepulchres,  crying  out  against  every  living 
man  who  refuses  to  wear  the  livery  of  death.  I 
am  almost  tempted  to  think  that  if,  with  the  end 


L  T.  F  E     THOU  G  UTS.  61 

of  every  pastorate,  tae  church  itself  were  dis- 
banded and  destroyed,  to  be  gathered  again  by  the 
succeeding  teacher,  we  should  thus  secure  an  im- 
mortality of  youth. 


THERE  is  no  such  thing  as  preaching  patience 
into  people,  unless  the  sermon  is  so  long  that  they 
have  to  practise  it  while  they  hear.  No  man  can 

m 

learn  patience  except  by  going  out  into  the  hurly- 
burly  world,  and  taking  life  just  as  it  blows.  Pa- 
tience is  but  lying  to,  and  riding  out  the  gale. 


As  musicians  sometimes  go  through  perplexing 
mazes  of  discord  in  order  to  come  to  the  inexpres- 
sible sweetness  of  after  chords,  so  men's  discords 
of  trouble  and  chromatic  jars,  if  God  be  their  lead- 
er, are  only  preparing  for  a  resolution  into  such 
harmonious  strains  as  could  never  have  been  raised 
except  upon  such  undertones.  Most  persons  are 
more  anxious  to  stop  their  sorrow  than  to  carry  it 
forward  to  its  choral  outburst.  "  Now,  no  chasten- 
ing for  the  present  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  griev- 
ous ;  nevertheless,  afterward,  it  yieldeth  the  peace- 
able fnvits  of  righteousness  unto  them  that  are 
exercised  thereby. " 
6 


62  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

IT  is  sometimes  of  God's  mercy  that  men  in  the 
eager  pursuit  of  worldly  aggrandizement  are  baf- 
fled ;  for  they  are  very  like  a  train  going  down  an 
inclined  plane  —  putting  on  the  brake  is  not  pleas- 
ant, but  it  keeps  the  car  on  the  track. 


To  the  end  of  the  world  the  word  garden  shall 
be  sweeter  than  flower  or  fruit  could  make  it ;  for 
the  Son  of* God,  the  fairest  thing  that  ever  grew, 
was  planted  there,  and  sprang  from  thence  in  celes- 
tial bloom  and  glory. 


MEN  often  think  an  institution  to  be  good  because 
it  has  done  good ;  but  institutions  are  often  only 
another  kind  of  national  school  book,  whose  object 
it  is  to  help  the  scholar  to  pass  on  and  leave  it 
behind.  Neither  boys  nor  society  are  to  be  kept 
forever  in  the  hornbook.  There  must  be,  in  any 
healthful  society,  a  process  of  absorption,  or  of  re- 
construction of  its  organizations.  Principles  never 
change ;  their  incarnations  continually  do.  A  so- 
ciety whose  institutions  are  unchanging  is  itself 
ungrowing.  The  living  body  alters.  Only  the 
dead  rest.  That  is  a  brave  and  good  institution 
which  speedily  digs  its  own  grave. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  68 

WHEN  our  cup  runs  over,  we  let  others  drink  the 
drops  that  fall,  but  not  a  drop  from  within  the  rim, 
and  call  it  charity ;  when  the  crumbs  are  swept 
from  our  table,  we  think  it  generous  to  let  the  dogs 
eat  them ;  as  if  that  were  charity  which  permits 
others  to  have  what  we  cannot  keep ;  which  says  to 
Ruth,  "  Glean  after  the  young  men,"  but  forgets  to 
say  to  the  young  men,  "  Let  fall  also  some  of  the 
handfuls  of  purpose  for  her." 


THERE  is  no  such  preaching  as  the  experience 
which  a  man  gives  who  has  just  realized  the  sinful- 
ness  of  his  soul.  I  often  hear  myself  out-preached 
by  some  new  convert  who  can  hardly  put  words  to- 
gether. Some  say  experimental  preaching  is  shal- 
low. Shallow !  It  is  deep  as  the  soul  of  God. 


MEN  are  afraid  of  breaking  down  where  they  are 
strongest,  but  are  seldom  afraid  of  their  weaknesses. 
If  a  man  is  hard,  he  fears  mellowness.  A  proud 
man  watches  lest  he  should  let  himself  down.  A 
selfish  man  is  vigilant  against  being  unduly  tempt- 
ed by  profuse  kindness ;  and  no  man  has  a  more 
salutary  fear  of  rash  generosity  than  he  whose  pores 
are  sealed  so  tight  that  all  the  suns  of  prosperity 


64 


cannot  open  them.  Men  are  apt  to  guard  them- 
selves where  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  be  over- 
come ;  but  they  are  quite  careless  of  those  open 
avenues  through  which  temptation  comes  and  goes 
so  easily  that  they  are«unco'nscious  of  wrong  doing 
because  they  are  not  pained  by  it. 


IT  is  not  well  for  a  man  to  pray,  cream ;  and  live, 
skim  inilk. 

SOME  men  say,  to  retire  to  a  little  blissful  nook, 
with  a  few  congenial  ones  to  love,  and  to  hear  the 
distant  roaring  of  life  as  those  in  forests  hear  the 
ocean, —  the  music,  and  not  the  storm,  —  would  be 
all  the  happiness  they  would  ask  on  earth.  Now, 
where  society  is  but  a  grand  machine  of  despotism, 
where  all  civil  affairs  are  put  away  from  the  citizen, 
and  all  religious  affairs  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
official  priest,  so  that  it  is  treason  to  be  active  in 
politics,  and  sacrilege  to  be  freely  active  in  religion, 
then  retirement  and  leisure  may  be  as  virtuous  as 
they  are  safe.  But  in  our  land,  where  society  is 
an  unbounded  field  for  individual  exertion  of  every 
kind,  and  a  man's  usefulness  is  limited  only  by  his 
own  original  power,  one  needs  a  special  edict  of 
Providence  to  justify  him  in  retiring  from  life. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  65 

When  leisure  is  a  selfish  luxury,  its  very  activity, 
when  it  stirs,  is  apt  to  be  only  a  kind  of  indolence 
taking  exercise,  that  it  may  the  better  digest  its 
selfishness. 

EVER  since  the  time  of  Christ,  the  divine  Helms- 
man has  been  steering  the  world  straight  towards 
the  lighthouse  of  Love. 


A  TRUE  preacher  is  God's  mint.  God  heats  his 
heart  till  the  truth  flows  like  molten  gold,  and  his 
utterance  is  prepared,  as  dies  are,  to  stamp  on  the 
coin  what  God  has  cut  in  him.  But  thousands  of 
preachers  are  only  exchange  brokers,  who  run  be- 
tween bank  and  customer  to  carry  old  coin  back 
and  forth  for  commercial  uses.  There  is  need  for 
these  too,  only  lower  down. 


A  MAN  might  as  well  fill  a  tree  full  of  nightin- 
gales, and,  standing  on  the  ground,  attempt  to  con- 
trol their  notes  and  to  hold  them  enchoired  together, 
as  to  attempt  to  control  by  his  volitions  the  multi- 
plied thoughts  and  feelings  of  his  own  soul,  £>ome 
persons  hearing  this  will  say,  "  A  man  can  regulate 
his  mind  as  easily  as  his  house."  Certainly,  if  he 
6* 


66  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

has  nothing  more  in  his  mind  than  is  in  his  house  ; 
but  faculties  ought  not  to  be  furniture.  We  can  ap- 
point the  bounds  and  the  directions  of  our  thoughts 
and  feelings,  but  within  those  Abounds  we  can  no 
more "  control  their  individual  spring,  than  a  man 
can  control  all  the  motions  of  the  drops  of  water  in 
a  stream,  because  he  has  the  power  to  fix  its  shores. 


MEN  think  God  is  destroying  them  because  he  is 
tuning  them.  The  violinist  screws  up  the  key  till 
the  tense  cord  sounds  the  concert  pitch  ;  but  it  is 
not  to  break  it,  but  to  use  it  tunefully,  that  he 
stretches  the  string  upon  the  musical  rack. 


THERE  is  always  the  need  for  a  man  to  go  higher, 
if  he  has  the  capacity  to  go. 


THERE  is  no  food  for  soul  or  body  which  God  has 
not  symbolized.  He  is  light  for  the  eye,  sound  for 
the  ear,  bread  for  food,  wine  for  weariness,  peace 
for  trouble.  Every  faculty  of  the  soul,  if  it  would 
but  open  its  door,  might  see  Christ  standing  over 
against  it,  and  silently  asking  by  his  smile,  "  Shall 
I  come  in  unto  thce  ?  "  But  men  open  the  door 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  67 

and  look  down,  not  up,  and  thus  see  him  not.  So 
it  is  that  men  sigh  on,  not  knowing  what  the  soul 
wants,  but  only  that  it  needs  something.  Our 
yearnings  are  homesicknesses  for  heaven  ;  our  sigh- 
ings  are  for  God,  just  as  children  that  cry  them- 
selves asleep  away  from  home,  and  sob  in  their 
slumber,  know  not  that  they  sob  for  their  parents. 
The  soul's  inarticulate  meanings  are  the  affections 
yearning  for  the  Infinite,  and  having  no  one  to  tell 
them  what  it  is  that  ails  them. 


THERE  is  much  contention  among  men  whether 
thought  or  feeling  is  the  better  ;  but  feeling  is  the 
bow,  and  thought  the  arrow-,  and  every  good  archer 
must  have  both.  Alone,  one  is  as  helpless  as  the 
other.  The  head  gives  artillery,  the  heart,  powder. 
The  one  aims  and  the  other  fires. 


SPREADING  Christianity  abroad  is  sometimes  an 
excuse  for  not  having  it  at  home.  A  man  may  cut 
grafts  from  his  tree  till  the  tree  itself  has  no  top  left 
with  which  to  bear  fruit.  In  the  end,  the  power  of 
Christian  missions  will  be  measured  by  the  zeal  of 
enlightened  piety  at  home,  as  the  circulation  of 
blood  at  the  extremities  of  the  body  will  depend 


68  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

upon  the  soundness  of  tlie  lungs  and  heart.  I  do 
not  say  that  we  should  not  send  the  gospel  abroad ; 
but  that  we  may  do  it,  there  must  be  more  of  it  at 
homo.  We  must  deepen  the  wells  of  salvation,  or 
drawing  will  run  them  dry. 


MANY  men  affect  to  despise  fear,  and  in  preaching 
resent  any  appeal  to  it ;  but  not  to  fear  where  there 
is  occasion,  is  as  great  a  weakness  as  to  fear  unduly, 
without  reason.  God  planted  fear  in  the  soul  as 
truly  as  he  planted  hope  or  courage.  Fear  is  a  kind 
of  bell,  or  gong,  which  rings  the  mind  into  quick 
life  and  avoidance  upon  the  approach  of  danger. 
It  is  the  soul's  signal  for  rallying. 


THE  world  never  was  so  low  as  at  the  creation. 
There  is  never  so  little  of  a  tree  as  when  it  is  in  the 
seed.  The  births  of  God  Almighty  are  births  of 
weakness.  Every  thing  in  the  universe  comes  to 
its  perfection  by  drill  and  marching  —  the  seed,  the 
insect,  the  animal,  the  man,  the  spiritual  man. 
God  created  man  at  the  lowest  point,  and  put 
him  into  a  world  where  almost  nothing  would  be 
done  for  him,  and  almost  every  thing  should  tempt 
him  to  do  for  himself.  The  very  help  which  God 


LIFE    THOU  GETS.  6£> 

gives  men,  is  by  teaching  them  how  to  help  them- 
selves. Want,  sorrow,  mistake,  and  all  that  men 
call  evils,  are  but  disciplinarians,  who  insist  that  the 
scholar  shall  learn  his  lesson  himself,  and  who  pun- 
ish him  until  he  does. 


LOOK  not  alone  for  your  relations  in  your  own 
house  or  in  your  own  sphere.  The  blood  of  Christ 
is  stronger  for  relationship  than  blood  of  father  or 
mother.  Look  above  you.  All  there  are  yours. 
Go  down  even  to  the  bottom  of  society.  All  be- 
low you  are  judgment-day  brothers ;  and  God's 
eternity  is  on  them  and  you  alike. 


How  wonderful  is  what  we  call  association !  I 
hang  some  thought  upon  an  object,  and  say,  "  When- 
ever  I  come  hither,  ring  for  me  as  a  bell  of  joy ;  '* 
and  upon  another  I  fasten  an  experience,  saying  to 
it,  "  Toll  to  me  of  sadness  ;  "  and  to  another,  "  Give 
forth  some  bold,  inspiring  strain  ;  "  and  to  another, 
"  Speak  to  me  always  of  hope."  And,  thereafter, 
each  thing,  true  to  its  nature,  whether  it  be  tree,  or 
place,  or  rock,  or  house,  or  that  which  is  therein, 
never  forgets  its  lesson.  Yea,  and  when  we  forget, 
they  make  us  to  remember,  singing  to  us  the  notes 


70  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

which  we  had  taught  them.  Thus  the  heart,  though 
it  may  not  dismember  itself,  to  give  a  soul  to  the 
material  world>  has  yet  a  power  half  to  create  in 
physical  things  a  soul  in  each  for  itself.  So  its  life 
is  written  out,  and  it  keeps  a  journal  upon  trees, 
upon  hills,  upon  the  face  of  heaven.  Is  it  not  for 
this,  then,  that  in  turn  God  has  used  every  object 
in  nature,  every  event  in  life,  every  function  of  so- 
ciety, every  affection  and  endearment  of  human 
love,  yea,  and  things  that  are  not,  the  very  silences 
of  the  world,  and  memories  that  are  but  disembod- 
ied events,  to  represent  to  us  by  association  his 
nature  and  affections?  Thus  the  heaven  and  the 
earth  do  speak  of  God,  and  the  great  natural  world 
is  but  another  Bible,  which  clasps  and  binds  the 
written  one  ;  for  nature  and  grace  are  one.  Grace 
is  the  heart  of  the  flower,  and  nature  but  its 
surrounding  petals. 


LIBERTY  is  the  soul's  right  to  breathe,  and  when 
it  cannot  take  a  long  breath,  laws  are  girdled  too 
tight.  Without  liberty  man  is  in  a  syncope. 


THAT  which   the   persecutors   once   said   of  the 
apostles,  ought   still  to  be  said  of  every  Christian 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  71 

man :    "  And  they  took  knowledge  of  them,  that 
they  had  been  with  Jesus,"     Acts  iv.  13. 

Men  carry  unconscious  signs  of  their  life  about 
them.  Those  that  come  from  the  forge,  and  those 
from  the  lime  and  mortar,  and  those  from  the  hu- 
mid soil,  and  those  from  dusty  travel,  bear  signs  of 
being  workmen,  and  of  their  work.  One  need  not 
ask  a  merry  face  or  a  sad  one  whether  it  hath  come 
forth  from  joy  or  from  grief.  Tears  and  laughter 
tell  their  own  story.  Should  one  come  home 
with  fruit,  we  say,  "  Thou  art  come  from  the 
orchard  ;  "  if  with  hands  full  of  wild  flowers,  "  Thou 
art  from  the  fields ; "  if  one's  garments  smell  of 
mingled  odors,  we  say,  "  Thou  hast  walked  in  a 
garden."  But  how  much  more,  if  one  hath  seen 
God,  hath  held  converse  of  hope  and  love,  and 
hath  walked  in  heaven,  should  he  carry  in  his  eye, 
his  words,  and  his  perfumed  raiment,  the  sacred 
tokens  of  divine  intercourse  ! 


WHEN  the  fruit  is  yet  green,  the  stem  holds  tight- 
ly to  the  bough  ;  but  when  it  is  ripe,  it  falls  with  the 
first  wind.  So  hold  on  tightly  to  your  plans  in 
life  until  God  shows  you  that  they  are  ripe  —  that 
they  have  accomplished  their  purpose ;  and  then  let 
them  go  ;  let  them  go  without  a  murmur. 


72  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

LOVE,  in  this  world,  is  like  a  seed  taken  from  the 
tropics,  and  planted  where  the  winter  comes  too 
soon ;  and  it  cannot  spread  itself  in  flower-clusters 
and  wide-twining  vines,  so  that  the  whole  air  is 
filled  with  the  perfume  thereof.  But  there  is  to  be 
another  summer  for  it  yet.  Care  for  the  root  now, 
and  God  will  care  for  the  top  by  and  by. 


I  HEARD  a  man  who  had  failed  in  business,  and 
whose  furniture  was  sold  at  auction,  say  that  when  the 
cradle,  and  the  crib,  and  the  piano  went,  tears  would 
come,  and  he  had  to  leave  the  house  to  be  a  man. 
Now,  there  are  thousands  of  nien  who  have  lost  their 
pianos,  but  who  have  found  better  music  in  the  sound 
of  their  children's  voices  and  footsteps  going  cheer- 
fully down  with  them  to  poverty,  than  any  harmony 
of  chorded  instruments.  0,  how  blessed  is  bankruptcy 
when  it  saves  a  man's  children  !  I  see  many  men 
who  are  bringing  up  their  children  as  I  should  bring 
up  mine,  if,  when  they  were  ten  years  old,  I  should 
lay  them  on  a  dissecting  table  and  cut  the  sinews  of 
their  arms  and  legs,  so  that  they  could  neither  walk 
nor  use  their  hands,  but  only  sit  still  and  be  fed. 
Thus  rich  men  put  the  knife  of  indolence  and  luxury 
to  their  children's  energies,  and  they  grow  up  fatted, 
lazy  calves,  fitted  for  nothing,  at  twenty-five,  but  to 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  73 

drink  deep  and  squander  wide  ;  and  the  father  must 
be  a  slave  all  his  life,  in  order  to  make  beasts 
of  his  'children.  How  blessed,  then,  is  the  stroke 
of  disaster  which  sets  the  children  free,  and  gives 
them  over  to  the  hard  but  kind  bosom  of  Poverty, 
who  says  to  them,  "  Work !  "  and,  working,  makes 
them  men ! 

LIKE  those  fair  New  England  lakes,  greened 
around  with  meadows,  of  translucent  depth  and 
silver  sand,  on  whose  surface  armies  of  white 
lilies,  golden-crowned,  unfold  to  the  sun,  so  the 
Christian's  heart  should  be.  All  its  feelings  and 
affections  should  open  into  life  like  those  white 
lilies,  and  deep  amid  the  blossom  petals  should 
be  seen  the  golden  crown  of  love. 


TEMPTATIONS  are  enemies  outside  the  castle  seek- 
;lig  entrance.,  If  there  be  no  false  retainer  within, 
who  holds  treacherous  parley,  there  can  scarcely  be 
even  an  offer.  No  one  would  make  overtures  to  a 
bolted  door  or  a  dead  wall.  It  is  some  face  at  the 
window  that  invites  proffer.  The  violence  of  temp- 
tation addressed  to  us  is  only  another  way  of  ex- 
pressing the  violence  of  the  desire  within  us.  It 
costs  nothing  to  reject  what  we  do  not  wish,  and  the 
7 


74  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

struggle  required  to  overcome  temptation  measures 
the  strength  in  us  of  the  temptible  element.  Men 
ought  not  to  say,  "  How  powerfully  the  devil 
tempts !"  but,  "  How  strongly  I  am  tempted  !  " 


To  be  weighed  down  with  a  sense  of  our  own  in- 
completeness ;  to  long  for  that  which  we  have  not 
and  cannot  gain  ;  to  descry  noble  attainments,  as  isl- 
ands in  the  sea,  eagerly  sought,  but  which  change 
to  clouds  as  we  draw  near ;  to  spend  our  life  in 
searching  for  the  hidden  land,  as  Columbus  for  the 
new  continent,  and  to  find  only  weeds  floating,  or  a 
broken  branch,  or,  at  Jbest,  a  bird  that  comes  to  us 
from  the  unknown  shore  ;  this  it  is  to  be  on  earth  — 
to  live.  And  yet,  are  not  these  very  yearnings  the 
winds  which  God  sends  to  fill  our  sails  and  give  us 
good  voyage  homeward  ? 


IT  is  not  so  much  by  the  symmetry  of  what  we 
attain  in  this  life  that  we  are  to  be  made  happy,  as 
by  the  enlivening  hope  of  what  we  shall  reach  in 
the  world  to  come.  While  a  man  is  stringing  a 
harp,  he  tries  the  strings,  not  for  music,  but  for  con- 
struction. When  it  is  finished  it  shall  be  played 
for  melodies.  God  is  fashioning  the  human  heart 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  75 

for  future  joy.     He  only  sounds  a  string  here  and 
there  to  see  how  far  his  work  has  progressed. 


THAT  gospel  which  sanctions  ignorance  and  op- 
pression for  three  millions  of  men,  what  fruit  or 
flower  has  it  to  shake  down  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations  ?  It  is  cursed  in  its  own  roots,  and  blast- 
ed in  its  own  boughs. 


MEN  utter  a  vast  amount  of  slander  against  their 
physical  nature,  and  attempt  to  repair  deficient 
virtue  by  maiming  their  animal  passions.  These 
are  to  be  trained,  guided,  restrained,  but  never  cru- 
cified or  exterminated,  for  they  are  the  soil  in  which 
we  were  planted.  Our  life  on  earth  begins  in  the 
body,  and  depends  for  vigor  upon  the  fulness  and 
power  of  our  physical  nature.  An  acorn  at  first 
sprouts  from  the  soil,  and  spreads  its  young  leaves 
upon  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Every  year  its  top 
grows  away  from  it  towards  heaven ;  yet  the  top 
neither  forgets  nor  scorns  the  earth-buried  root. 
The  brightest  leaf  which  the  sun  loves,  or  the  wind 
waves  on  the  topmost  bough,  has  leave  to  be  beau- 
tiful by  what  the  root  gives  it,  and  carries  in  its 
veins  the  blood  which  the  cold  root  sucked  up  from 


76  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

the  moist  earth.    The  top  will  famish  when  the  root 
is  hungry. 

The  way  to  avoid  evil  is  not  by  maiming  our  pas- 
sions, but  by  compelling  them  to  yield  their  vigor 
to  our  moral  nature.  Thus  they  become,  as  in  the 
ancient  fable,  tho  harnessed  steeds  which  bear  the 
chariot  of  the  sun. 


HAPPY  is  the  man  who  has  that  in  his  soul  which 
acts  upon  the  dejected  as  April  airs  upon  violet 
roots.  Gifts  from  the  hand  are  silver  and  gold,  but 
the  heart  gives  that  which  neither  silver  nor  gold 
can  buy.  To  be  full  of  goodness,  full  of  cheerful- 
ness, full  of  sympathy,  full  of  helpful  hope,  causes  a 
man  to  carry  blessings  of  which  he  is  himself  as  un- 
conscious as  a  lamp  is  of  its  own  shining.  Such  an 
one  moves  on  human  life  as  stars  move  on  dark 
seas  to  bewildered  mariners ;  as  the  sun  wheels, 
bringing  all  the  seasons  with  him  from  the  south. 


MEN  long  for  Christ  on  earth.  Christ  in  heaven 
is  not  only  faint  and  dim,  but  they  think  a  heav- 
enly Being  cannot  have  earthly  love.  There  may 
be  more  purity,  they  think,  in  heavenly  love  than 
in  earthly,  but  less  heartiness,  and  heartiness  is 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  77 

what  they  long  for.  Now  Christ  returned  to  heaven 
that  he  might  love  more^  not  less.  This  was  a  part 
of  the  glory  which  he  had  laid  aside  and  was  to 
take  again.  On  earth  his  soul  stood  but  in  the  bud. 
He  went  to  a  fairer  clinie  that  he  might  blossom, 
and  now  the  heavens  and  the  earth  are  full  of  the 
fragrance  of  his  love.  Incarnation  was  limitation. 
Ascension  was  expansion.  There  was  not  room 
enough  for  such  a  heart  while  in  the  body.  It 
came  as  a  seed,  and  grew,  but  we  saw  only  the 
sprouting  and  the  leaves.  Death  ripened  it  back 
again  to  the  golden  fulness  of  a  heavenly  state. 


No  man  can  tell  whether  he  is  rich  or  poor  by 
turning  to  his  ledger.  It  is  the  heart  that  makes  a 
man  rich.  He  is  rich  or  poor  according  to  what  he 
is,  not  accordiag  to  what  he  has. 


GOD  says  the  peace  of  the  man  who  loves  him 
shall  flow  like  a  river ;  *  and  if  ours  is  not  such,  it  is 
because  its  springs  are  not  in  Mount  Zion  —  be- 
cause its  sources  are  the  marshes  and  the  low- 

*  "  0  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to  my  commandments !  then  had 
thy  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the 
sea."  Isaiah  xlviii.  18. 

7* 


78  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

lands,  and  not  the  crystal  fountains  of  the  hills. 
This  peace  shall  not  be  like  a  shower,  falling  with 
temporary  abundance,  but  like  the  river  which  flows 
by  the  cottage  door,  always  full  and  always  singing. 
The  man  hears  it  when  he  rises  in  the  morning ;  he 
hears  it  in  the  quiet  noon  ;  he  hears  it  when  the  sun 
goes  down  ;  and  if  he  wakes  in  the  night,  its  sound  is 
in  his  ear.  It  was  there  when  he  was  a  child  ;  it  was 
there  when  he  grew  up  to  manhood  ;  it  was  there 
when  he  was  an  old  man ;  it  will  murmur  by  his 
grave  upon  its  banks,  and  sing  and  flow  for  his 
children  after  him.  It  is  to  such  a  river  that  God 
likens  the  divine  bounty  of  peace  given  to  his  people. 

How  little  do  we  know  of  this  peace  of  God  !  We 
deem  ourselves  happy  if  we  have  one  serene  hour 
out  of  the  twenty-four ;  and  if  now  and  then  there 
comes  a  Sabbath  which  is  balm  at  morning,  and 
sweetness  through  the  still  noon,  and  benediction  at 
evening,  we^  count  it  a  rare  and  blessed  experience. 

The  child  frightened  in  his  play  runs  to  seek  his 
mother.  She  takes  him  upon  her  lap,  and  presses 
his  head  to  her  bosom  ;  and  with  tcndcrest  words 
of  love  she  looks  down  upon  him,  and  smooths  his 
hair,  and  kisses  his  cheek,  and  wipes  away  his  tears. 
And  then,  in  a  low  and  gentle  voice,  she  sings  some 
sweet  descant,  some  lullaby  of  love,  and  the  fear 
fades  out  from  his  face,  and  a  smile  of  satisfaction 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  79 

plays  over  it,  and  at  length  his  eyes  close,  and  he 
sleeps  in  the  deep  depths  and  delights  of  peace. 
God  Almighty  is  the  mother,  and  the  soul  is  the 
tired  child  ;  and  he  folds  it  in  his  arms,  and  dispels 
its  fears,  and  lulls  it  to  repose,  saying,  "  Sleep,  my 
darling ;  sleep.  It  is  I  who  watch  thee."  "  He 
giveth  his  beloved  sleep."  The  mother's  arms  en- 
circle but  one  ;  but  God  clasps  every  yearning  soul 
to  his  bosom,  and  give*  to  it  the  peace  which 
passeth  understanding,  beyond  the  reach  of  care 
or  storm. 

A  MAN  has  a  right  to  picture  God  according  to 
his  need,  whatever  it  be.  This  being  shut  up  by 
ecclesiasticism  to  a  narrow  way  of  coming  to  God 
has  stifled  many  a  soul.  The  whole  round  of  sym- 
bols has  been  employed  to  represent  God  to  us,  the 
loftiest  as  well  as  the  lowest  things.  The  bird  that 
fans  the  sun,  and  the  bird  that  hides  from  it  under 
the  leaf,  are  alike  taken  to  symbolize  Jehovah. 

A  man  has  a  right  to  go  to  God  by  any  way  which 
is  true  to  him.  If  you  can  think  it  out,  that  is 
your  privilege.  If  you  can  feel  it  out,  that  is  your 
privilege.  Oae  thing  is  certain:  the  child  has  a 
right  to  nestle  in  his  father's  bosom,  whether  he 
climbs  there  upon  his  knee  or  by  the  chair  from 
behind  ;  any  way,  so  that  it  is  his  father.  Wherever 


80  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

you  have  seen  God  pass,  mark  it,  and  go  and  sit  in 
that  window  again. 


IT  is  not  work  that  kills  men ;  it  is  worry.  Work 
is  healthy ;  you  can  hardly  put  more  upon  a  man 
than  he  can  bear.  Worry  is  rust  upon  the  blade. 
It  is  not  the  revolution  that  destroys  the  machinery, 
but  the  friction.  Fear  secretes  acids ;  but  love  and 
trust  are  sweet  juices.  » 


MEN  who  have  always  thrust  obstacles  aside  come 
to  think  their  power  invincible,  and  to  make  them- 
selves a  battering  ram  against  fate  and  circum- 
stances. And  when  God  comes  down  to  oppose 
them,  at  first  they  try  to  wrestle  with  him  ;  but 
they  limp  all  their  life  after,  like  Jacob  of  old,  for 
God  never  wrestles  with  a  man  without  throw- 
ing him. 

There  are  four  degrees  in  men's  experience  of 
trouble.  The  lowest,  and  most  pitiable,  is  that  in 
which  trouble  overwhelms  a  man ;  in  which  he  is 
carried  away  by  the  force  and  swell  of  its  waves,  as 
a  leaf  is  borne  down  the  current  of  a  rushing  river. 
Shame  that  a  man,  —  a  man,  —  the  son  of  God,  and 
the  heir  of  immortality,  should  be  so  swept  and 
swayed  by  circumstances  —  a  little  money  more  or  a 


LIFETHOUGHTS.  81 

little  less  —  should  crouch  and  fall  down,  unable  to 
rise.  May  God  spare  me  from  seeing  any  of  you  in 
such  a  case.  The  second  degree  is  that  in  which  the 
man's  troubles  are  about  him  like  deep  waters,  but 
do  not  quite  overpower  him.  He  is  just  able  to 
stand,  and  to  keep  his  head  above  the  waves.  This 
is  better  than  the  first,  but  is  the  lowest  of  all  that 
deserves  the  name  of  good.  The  third  degree  is 
that  in  which  the  man's  heart  is  like  a  room  where 
the  father  sits  with  his  family,  while  the  storm  roars 
without.  The  floods  beat  against  the  windows  ;  the 
wind  whistles  and  moans  at  every  crevice ;  but  he 
heeds  it  not,  for  the  fire  burns  brightly,  and  his  wife 
and  children  sit  smiling  in  its  glow.  Here  the  man 
has  so  far  conquered  his  trials  that  he  has  peace 
within.  The  fourth,  and  highest,  degree  is  that  in 
which  the  man's  troubles  have  become  luminous  to 
him,  in  which  he  is  victorious  over  fhem,  and  makes 
them  yield  him  strength  and  joy.  ^And  it  is  God's 
design,  in  wrestling  with  men,  to  bring  them  to  this 
state,  in  which  their  griefs  shall  be  the  food  of 
ecstasy  and  the  wine  of  triumph. 


To  be  praised,  and  to  have  the  reputation  of 
liberality,  is  the  way  many  people  have  of  taking 
interest  on  what  they  lend  to  the  Lord.  It  is  prob- 


82  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

able  that  benevolence  is  only  the  cat's  paw  of  van- 
ity, when  our  obscure  and  casual  kindnesses  seem 
to  us  like  pale,  inodorous  flowers  grown  in  a  sol- 
itary wood,  and  only  public  and  bruited  charities 
have  color  and  fragrance.  A  man  should  fear,  when 
he  enjoys  only  what  good  he. does  publicly.  Is  it  not 
the  publicity,  rather  than  the  charity,  that  he  loves  ? 
Is  it  not  vanity,  rather  than  benevolence,  that  gives 
such  charities  ?  A  man  must  be  very  rich  in  se- 
cret charities  before  he  can  bear  the  strain  of  public 
beneficence. 

THE  seventy-third  psalm  reminds  me  of  some  of 
Beethoven's  symphonies  ;  and  these,  again,  always 
make  me  think  of  the  tumult  of  the  forest,  when  the 
wind  roars  and  swells  and  surges'  with  wild  discord 
among  the  trees  ;  when  the  branches  creak  and 
crash  against  each  other,  and  every  bough  has  a 
separate  wail.  By  and  by  the  wind  lulls  ;  and  when 
twilight  is  beneath,  and  all  the  forest  is  quiet,  or 
only  so  much  noiseful  as  the  insects  make  it,  then 
some  bird  on  a  tree-top  sings  out  clear  and  sweet, 
and  his  song  goes  floating  away  over  the  wood,  the 
very  soul  of  peaceful  joy.  And  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  symphonies  of  Beethoven  —  that  Milton  of  mu- 
sicians—  reproduce  in.  themselves  the  sounds  of  the 
forest.  In  the  opening,  passages,  the  half-concord- 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  83 

ant  discords  clash  one  upon  another  ;  there  is 
moaning,  and  strife,  and  war  of  sound;  but,  at 
length,  out  of  the  jar  and  the  conflict  is  evolved  a 
clear-flowing  melody,  as  sweet  as  the  song  of  the 
bird,  and  as  gentle  as  the  twilight  rustle  of  the 
leaves. 

Now,  this  psalm  is  like  the  symphonies ;  for  its 
opening  verses  clash  upon  each  other,  and  are  full 
of  tumult  and  yearning. 

"  But  as  for  me,  my  feet  were  almost  gone,  my. 
steps  had  well  nigh  slipped.  For  I  was  envious  at 
the  foolish  when  I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked. 
For  there  are  no  bands  in  their  death,  but  their 
strength  is  firm.  They  are  not  in  trouble  as  other 
men  ;  neither  are  they  plagued  like  other  men.  .  .  . 
Verily,  I  have  cleansed  my  heart  in  vain,  and  washed 
my  hands  in  iimocency.  For  all  the  day  long  have 
I  been  plagued,  and  chastened  every  morning." 

But  when  this  strain  is  ended,  then  rises  tho 
sweet  and  joyful  descant,  "  Nevertheless,  I  am  con^ 
tinually  with  thee ;  thou  hast  holden  me  by  my 
right  hand.'  Thou  shalt  guide  me  by  thy  counsel, 
and  afterward  receive  me  to  glory.  Whom  have  1 
in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth 
that  I  desire  besides  thee.  My  flesh  and  my  heart 
faileth  ;  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and 
my  portion  forever." 


84  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

THROUGH  the  week  we  go  down  into  the  valleys  of 
care  and  shadow.  Our  Sabbaths  should  be  hills  of  light 
and  joy  in  God's  presence  ;  and  so,  as  time  rolls  by, 
we  shall  go  on  from  mountain  top  to  mountain  top,  till 
at  last  we  catch  the  glory  of  the  gate,  and  enter  in  to  go 
no  more  out  forever. 

WE  should  brave  trouble  as  the  New  England 
boy  braves  winter.  The  school  is  a  mile  away 
over  the  snowy  hill,  yet  he  lingers  not  by  the 
fire ;  but,  with  his  books  slung  over  his  shoulder, 
and  his  cap  tied  closely  under  his  chin,  he  sets  out 
to  face  the  storm.  And  when  he  reaches  the  top- 
most ridge,  where  the  powdered  snow  lies  in  drifts, 
and  the  north  wind  comes  keen  and  biting,  does  he 
shrink  and  cower  down  beneath  the  fences,  or  run 
into  the  nearest  house  to  warm  himself?  No  ;  he 
buttons  up  his  coat,  and  rejoices  to  defy  the  blast, 
and  tosses  the  snow  wreaths  with  his  foot ;  and  so, 
erect  and  fearless,  with  strong  heart  and  ruddy 
cheek,  lie  goes  on  to  his  place  at  school. 

Now,. when  the  fierce  winds  of  adversity  blow 
over  you,  and  your  life's  summer  lies  buried  be- 
neath frost  and  snow,  do  not  linger  inactive,  or  sink 
cowardly  down  by  the  way,  or  turn  aside  from  your 
course  for  momentary  wawnth  and  shelter,  but,  with 
stout  heart  and  firm  step,  go  forward  in  God's 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  85 

strength  to  vanquish  trouble,  and  to  bid  defiance 
to  disaster.  .If  there  is 'ever  a  time  to  be  ambitious, 
it  is  not  when  ambition  is  easy,  but  when  it  is  hard. 
Fight  in  darkness ;  fight  when  you  are  down ;  die 
hard,  and  you  won't  die  at  all.  That  gelatinous- 
bodied  man,  whose  bones  are  not  even  muscles,  and 
whose  muscles  are  pulp,  —  that  man  is  a  coward. 


THE  things  which  most  concerned  men  in  past 
ages  —  food,  raiment,  wealth,  place,  personal  honor 
—  are  all  forgotten  now;  but  those  things  which 
seemed  to  thorn  the  most  shadowy  and  unsubstan- 
tial, —  their  faith,  their  ideals,  their  principles,  — 
these  are  now  the  only  abiding  remembrancers. 
Thus  men  are  kept  alive  on  earth  by  that  which  is 
invisible,  and  sunk  to  the  bottom  by  that  which  is 
material.  Time  is*  made  up  of  waters  so  thin, 
that  nothing  may  float  thereon  which  is  heavier 
than  unseen  truths  and  heart  treasures.  As,  at 
sea,  we  descry  ships  by  the  sails  which  lift  them- 
selves high  above  the  curve  of  the  ocean,  while  the 
dark  and  heavy  hulls,  where  the  freights  are,  are 
sunk  below  the  sight ;  —  so,  the  convoys  of  men  that 
sailed  in  the  past  are  no  longer  seen  where  they 
carried  the  much-prized  freight,  but  in  the  lift- 
ing up  of  their  spars  and  sails  against  the  heaven, 
8 


86  LIFETH  OUGHTS. 

high  above  the  bend  and  curve  of  the  ocean  of 
time. 

THE  more  thorough  a  man's  education  is,  the 
more  he  yearns  for  and  is  pushed  forward  to  new 
achievement.  The  better  a  man  is  in  this  world, 
the  better  he  is  compelled  to  be.  That  bold  youth 
who  climbed  up  the  Natural  Bridge,  in  Virginia, 
and  carved  his  name  higher  than  any  other,  found, 
when  he  had  done  so,  that  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  descend,  and  that  his  only  alternative  was  to  go 
on  and  scale  the  height,  and  find  safety  at  the  top. 
Thus  it  is  with  all  climbing  in  this  life.  There  is 
no  going  down.  It  is  climbing  or  falling.  Every 
upward  step  makes  another  needful ;  and  so  we 
must  go  on  until  we  reach  heaven,  the  summit  of 
the  aspirations  of  time. 


WHENEVER  an  emotion  rises  up  and  projects  its 
life  into  the  intellect,  and  the  intellect  is  magnetized 
by  it,  the  truths  belonging  to  that  emotion  will  be 
clearer  seen  under  these  vision-judgments  than  at 
any  other  time.  Many  men  confound  moral  excite- 
ments with  those  of  their  passions,  and  think  it  not 
prudent  to  act  upon  their  feelings.  They  wait  till 
excitement  has  cooled.  The  excitement  of  passion 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  87 

should  cool,  but  of  the  nobler  powers,  never.  1 
should  as  soon  think  of  saying  to  the  workmen  at 
a  foundery,  "  Why  do  you  pour  that  liquid,  scintil- 
lating iron  into  the  mould  ?  Why  do  you  not  wait 
till  it  is  cold  before  you  do  it  ?  "  as  of  asking  a  man 
why  he  heeded  his  convictions,  and  his  judgments 
of  moral  truths,  when  his  intellect  was  roused  and 
his  heart  on  fire.  If  he  waits  till  he  has  cooled 
down,  they  will  be  as  dross  and  cinders  compared 
to  what  they  would  have  been  when  his  heart 
throbbed  and  was  alive  with  blessed  excitement. 

An  exploring  party  are  seeking  the  best  route 
across  the  isthmus  for  a  canal  from  ocean  to  ocean. 
The  country  is  unknown  to  them,  and  they  make 
but  little  progress  in  their  search.  At  length  the 
leader  descries  a  mountain,  misty  blue,  against  the 
horizon,  and  knows  that  its  top  will  show  them  the 
whole  way  on  either  side.  So  on  they  press,  now 
fording  streams,  and  now  Ipst  in  the  obscurity  of 
forests,  but  ever  keeping  the  mountain  before  them, 
and  drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  till,  at  nightfall, 
they  rest  upon  its  base,  and  with  the  morning  light 
climb  its  side,  and,  lo  !  the  land  lies,  picture-like, 
below  them,  stretching  away  on  either  hand  to  both 
oceans.  They  mark  the  watercourses,  and  the  trend 
of  the  valleys,  and  behold,  to  the  west,  how  the 
mountains  open  like  a  gate  to  the  Pacific  Sea,  and 


88  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

how,  to  the  east,  a  broad  river  with  unconscious 
skill  finds  its  way  through  the  lowlands  to  the 
Atlantic.  But  suppose,  while  they  can  thus  easily 
determine  their  course,  some  conservative  among 
them  should  exclaim,  "  This  is  all  folly.  If  we 
would  judge  rightly,  we  must  be  down  where  the 
valleys  curve  and  the  rivers  run,"  and,  heeding  his 
advice,  they  should  all  descend  the  mountain. 
Would  they  find  their  way,  down  there  ?  Would 
not  the  jungle  shut  them  in,  and  hide  from  them 
the  whole  map  ? 

Now,  the  soul's  hours  of  strong  excitement  are 
its  luminous  hours  —  its  mountains  of  vision,  from 
which  it  looks  over  the  landscape  of  life  with  unob- 
structed gaze.  And  the  observations  it  then  takes, 
and  the  judgments  it  forms,  as  far  transcend  the 
scope  and  truth  of  its  ordinary  sight  and  reasoning 
as  the  view  from  the  seaward-looking  mountain 
transcends  the  view  from  the  pent-up  valley. 


I  AM  profoundly  affected  by  the  grandeur  of 
prophecy.  God  unveils  the  frescoed  wall  of  the 
future,  not  so  much  that  we  may  count  the  figures, 
and  measure  the  robes,  and  analyze  the  pigments, 
but  that,  gazing  upon  it,  our  imaginations  may  be 
enkindled,  and  hope  be  inspired,  to  bear  us  through 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  89 

the  dismal  barrenness  of  the  present.  Prophecy 
was  not  addressed  to  the  reason,  nor  to  the  'statis- 
tical faculty,  but  to  the  imagination  ;  and  I  should 
as  soon  think  of  measuring  love  by  the  scales  of 
commerce,  or  of  admiring  flowers  by  the  rule  of 
feet  and  Cinches,  or  of  applying  arithmetic  to  taste 
and  enthusiasm,  as  calculations  and  figures  to  these 
grand  evanishing  signals  which  God  waves  in  the 
future  only  to  tell  the  world  which  way  it  is  to 
march. 


THE  disputes  which  have  filled  the  church  upon 
the  doctrine  of  perfection  seem  to  me  to  have  been 
pitiable.  They  reveal  the  narrowest  conception  of 
human  character.  God's  idea  of  perfection  is  not 
mere  conformity  to  rule  and  law,  but,  with  this, 
development  into  a  state  far  beyond  any  thing 
known  among  men.  Perfection  is  ripeness  ;  but 
time  is  not  a  summer  long  enough  to  ripen  the 
soul.  Heaven  is  the  soul's  summer. 

The  perfection  of  the  schools  is  a  kind  of  manda- 
rin perfection.  Suppose  a  Chinese  mandarin,  whose 
garden  was  filled  with  dwarfed  plants  and  trees, 
should  show  me  an  oak  tree,  two  feet  high,  growing 
in  a  pot  of  earth,  and  should  say  to  me,  — 

"  A  perfect  tree  must  be  sound  at  the  root  — 
must  it  not  ?  And  it  must  have  all  its  branches 
8* 


90  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

I 

complete,  and  its  leaves  green.  Look  here.  This 
root  is  sound  ;  there  is  no  decay  in  the  trunk ;  it  has 
the  full  number  of  branches ;  the  Cleaves  are  bright 
and  green,  and  little  acorns  are  ripening  all  over  it. 
It  is  a  perfect  tree  ;  why  do  you  not  admire  it  ?  " 

A  miserable  two-foot  oak  !  I  turn  from  it  to 
think  of  God's  oak  in  the  open  pasture,  a  hundred 
feet  high,  wide-boughed,  and  braving  the  storm. 

Now,  when  a  man  comes  to  me  talking  of  perfec- 
tion, and  says,  "  A  perfect  man  must  have  such  and 
such  qualities  —  must  he  not  ?  He  must  control 
his  passions  arid  appetites,  and  regulate  his  affec- 
tions. He  must  not  sin  in  this  thing,  or  that  thing, 
or  the  other.  Such  am  I.  I  do  not  commit  this 
fault,  or  fall  into  that  error.  I  have  trained  and 
schooled  myself.  Behold  me  !  I  am  perfect !  "  I 
can  but  exclaim,  "  Miserable  two-foot  Christian  !  " 
I  have  no  patience  with  this  low  standard,  these 
earthly  comparisons,  this  relative  goodness.  I  must 
outgrow  this  pot  of  earth.  God's  eternity  is  in  my 
soul,  and  I  shall  need  it  all,  to  grow  up  to  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ. 


NOT  that  which  men  do  worthily,  but  that  which 
they  do  successfully,  is  what  history  makes  haste  to 
record. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  91 

DUST,  by  its  own  nature,  can  rise  only  so  far 
above  the  road ;  and  birds  which  fly  higher  never 
have  it  upon  their  wings.  So  the  heart  that  knows 
how  to  fly  high  enough,  escapes  those  little  cares  and 
vexations  which  brood  upon  the  earth,  but  cannot 
rise  above  it  into  that  purer  air. 


WHEN  mists  have  hung  low  over  the  hills,  and 
the  day  has  been  dark  with  intermittent  showers, 
at  length,  great  clouds  begin  to  hurry  across  the 
sky,  the  wind  rises,  and  the  rain  comes  pouring 
down ;  then  we  look  out  and  exclaim,  "  Why,  this 
is  the  clearing-up  shower."  And  when  the  floods 
have  spent  themselves,^  the  clouds  part  to  let  the 
blue  sky  tremble  through  them,  and  the  west  wind 
bears  them  away  seaward,  and,  though  they  are  yet 
black  and  threatening,  we  see  their  silver  edges  as 
they  pass,  and  know  that  just  behind  them  are  sing- 
ing birds  and  glittering  dew  drops  ;  and,  lo !  while 
yet  we  look,  the  sun  bursts  forth,  and  lights  them  up 
in  the  eastern  heaven  with  the  glory  of  the  rainbow. 

Now,  to  the  Christian  whose  life  has  been  dark 
with  brooding  cares  that  would  not  lift  themselves, 
and  on  whom  chilling  rains  of  sorrow  have  fallen 
at  intervals,  through  all  his  years,  death,  with  its 
sudden  blast  and  storm,  is  but  the  clearing-up 


92  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

shower ;  and  just  behind  it  are  the  songs  of  angels, 
and  the  serenity  and  glory  of  heaven. 


THE  truest  self-respect  is  not  to  think  of  self. 


MEN  in  extensive  and  prosperous  business  are 
often  a  target  for  envy  to  shoot  at ;  and  when  they 
fail  and  go  down,  there  are  thousands  who  wickedly 
rejoice  in  their  fall.  But  in  our  days  some  men  are 
institutions.  They'do  not  stand  like  Pompey's  Pil- 
lar or  Cleopatra's  Needle,  towering  to  the  sky,  de- 
tached and  alone ;  they  are  like  mountains  which 
carry  forests  far  up  their  sides,  and  shelter  and 
nourish  ten  thousand  living  things  in  their  shadow. 
Some  one  says,  "  Why  do  you  care  that  that  water 
wheel  is  broken  ?  A  black,  lumbering  thing,  half 
of  the  time  in  the  water  and  half  of  the  time  out. 
"Why  do  you  not  care  for  the  nicer  wheels  and  spin- 
dles within  the  building  ?  " 

I  do  care,  and  therefore  I  am  sorry  for,  the  break- 
ing of  the  great  wheel.  Its  axis  passes  within,  and 
by  drum  and  bands  its  power  is  communicated  to 
the  various  rooms,  and  every  spindle  is  dependent 
upon  its  revolutions.  When  an  earthquake  comes, 
by  as  much  as  a  house  is  elevated  above  the  others, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  9B 

by  so  much  is  its  ruin  greater  than  theirs  —  the 
third  story  crashing  into  the  second,  and  the  second 
into  the  first.  Now,  men  in  extensive  business  are 
mountains  of  shelter ;  ponderous  wheels  that  turn 
the  mill ;  lofty  houses  which  cannot  fall  without 
causing  wide-spread  disaster ;  and  when  we  hear  of 
their  failure,  we  must  not  think  of  them  alone,  but 
also  of  the  ten  thousand  dependants  who  are  affil- 
iated with  them.  -m  In  a  not  irreverent  sense  it  may 
be  said,  they  are  "  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  of 
many  in  Israel." 

"  I  AM  the  way."  As  a  road  is  that  along  which 
men  go  to  their  daily  avocations,  God  chooses  it  to 
represent  himself  in  this  universal  use,  this  underly- 
ing support  of  all  things.  Who  would  dare  to  say 
this  of  God  but  God?  Some  beasts  carry  their 
young,  and  some  birds  carry  their  young,  and 
mothers  carry  their  children ;  but  who  but  God 
could  say,  "  I  am  the  road ;  press  me  with  your 
feet."  This  is  the  highway  cast  up  ;  and  on  it  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return  and  come  to 
Zion,  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their 
heads. 

I  PITY  those  women  whose  staff  is  their  needle ; 
for  when  they  lean  upon  it,  it  pierces,  not  their  side, 


94  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

.> 

but  their  heart.  The  devil's  broadsword,  in  this 
world,  has  often  been  the  needle  with  which  a  wo- 
man sews  to  earn  her  daily  bread.  I  think  the 
needle  has  slain  more  than  the  sword  of  war. 


WHEN  there  is  love  in  the  heart,  there  are  rain- 
bows in  the  eyes,  which  cover  every  black  cloud  with 
gorgeous  hues. 

OUR  life  begins  in  the  senses.  Men  walk  upon 
the  ground ;  but  above  it  God  has  sprung  the  blue 
arch  of  heaven,  and  they  live  by  breathing  the  air. 
So  it  is  with  our  interior  life.  The  material  world  is 
the  foundation,  the  grand  workshop  for  our  facul- 
ties ;  but  if  this  be  all,  —  if  there  hangs  not  above 
it  God's  invisible  realm  of  truth,  in  which  we 
breathe,  —  there  can  be  no  healthy  living.  That 
a  plant  may  grow,  we  put  manure  into  the  soil ; 
but  when  the  roots  have  taken  hold  upon  it,  and  it 
has  shot  up  into  stem,  and  leaves,  and  flowers,  we 
do  not  pour  manure  into  the  white  blossom.  It 
holds  up  its  cup,  and  says,  "  0  Heaven  !  send  thy 
light,  and  drop  down  thy  dew."  And  the'  light 
glows,  and  the  dew  falls,  and  the  flower  expands 
by  feeding  upon  the  air. 

So  man's  life  must  begin  in  the  material.     He 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  9£ 

must  first  learn  how  to  live  as  an  animal,  and  must 
employ  all  those  forces  which  will  contribute  to  his 
development ;  but  when  he  comes  to  the  blossoms 
of  faith,  and  hope,  and  courage,  he  needs  other  ali- 
ment. They  must  unfold,  and  be  nourished  in 
God's  upper  air. 

LET  the  day  have  a  blessed  baptism  by  giving 
your  first  waking  thoughts  into  the  bosom  of  God. 
The  first  hour  of  the  morning  is  the  rudder  of  the 
day. 

WHEN  God  shakes  men  as  dust  from  under  the 
summer  threshing-floor,  the  right  hand  of  a  man's 
strength  is  as  powerless  as  the  left  hand  of  a  man's 
weakness,  and  his  wisdom  is  as  folly.  What  avails 
the  wisdom  of  the  apple  to  make  it  cling  to  the 
bough  when  it  is  ripe  in  autumn  time  ?  or  the  wis- 
dom of  the  leaf  to  hold  it  fast  to  the  stem  when  the 
tempest  calls  ?  or  the  wisdom  of  the  tree  to  make 
it  stand  secure  when  a  rock  from  the  cliff  comes 
crashing  down  through  its  piny  branches  ?  When 
God  sends  storms  upon  men,  they  must  imitate  the 
humble  grass,  which  saves  itself  by  lying  down.  It 
is  better  to  lie  down  than  to  break  down.  Therefore 
it  is  said,  "  Humble  yourselves  before  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  that  in  due  season  he  may  raise  you  up." 


96  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

WHEN  at  last  the  sound  of  death  shall  be  in  our 
ears,  may  it  be  but  the  noise  of  the  wheels  of  God 
Almighty's  chariot  come  to  take  us  home  —  our 
schooling  over,  and  our  long  vacation  begun  in 
heaven.  Forever  !  Not  this  side  the  grave,  which 
extinguishes  all,  but  in  that  proud  land  which  lies 
beyond,  unseen  by  mortal  eye,  thank  God!  and 
unwet  by  mortal  -tear. 


THAT  which  men  suppose  the  imagination  to  be, 
and  to  do,  is  often  frivolous  enough  and  mischiexTcns 
enough  ;  but  that  which  God  meant  it  to  be  in  the 
mental  economy  is  not  merely  rxoble,  but  superemi- 
nent.  It  is  the  distinguishing  element  in  all  refine- 
ment. It  is  the  secret  and  marrow  of  civilization. 
It  is  the  very  eye  of  faith.  The  soul  without  ima- 
gination is  what  an  observatory  would  be  without  a 
telescope. 

As  the  imagination  is  set  to  look  into  the  invisi- 
ble and  immaterial,  it  seems  to  attract  something 
of  their  vitality ;  and  though  it  can  give  nothing  to 
the  body  to  redeem  it  from  years,  it  can  give  to  the 
soul  that  freshness  of  youth  in  old  age  which  is  even 
more  beautiful  than  youth  in  the  young.  It  al- 
ways seems  to  me  that,  before  we  leave  this  realm, 
deep  affections  take  hold  of  the  life  to  come  by  the 


LIFETHOUGHTS.  97 

hands  of  ideality,  so  that  this  quality  in  the  old, 
hovers  upon  the  edge  and  bound  of  life,  the  morn- 
ing star  of  immortality.  Thus  it  is  with  men  as 
with  evening  villages.  The  lights  in  some  dwell- 
ings are  extinguished  soon  after  twilight ;  in  others, 
they  hold  till  nine  o'clock ;  one  by  one  they  go  out, 
until  midnight ;  but  a  few  houses  there  are  where 
the  student's  lamp  or  lover's  watching  torch  holds 
bright  till  morning  pours  their  light  into  the  ocean 
of  its  own.  So  such  men  bring  through  the  flooded 
hours  of  darkness  the  light  of  yesterday  into  to-day, 
and  are  never  dark  and  never  die.  Thus  it  comes 
to  pass  as  it  is  written,  "  Upon  those  who  sat  in  the 
region  and  shadow  of  death  a  great  light  is  arisen." 


DOCTRINE  is  nothing  but  the  skin  of  Truth  set  up 
and  stuffed. 


So  many  are  God's  kindnesses  to  us,  that,  as 
drops  of  water,  they  run  together  ;  and  it  is  not 
until  we  are  borne  up  by  the  multitude  of  them,  as 
by  streams  in  deep  channels,  that  we  recognize  them 
as  coming  from  him.  We  have  walked  amid  his 
mercies  as  in  a  forest  where  we  are  tangled  among 
ten  thousand  growths,  and  touched  on  every  hand 
by  leaves  and  buds  which  we  notice  not.  We  can- 
9 


93  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

not  recall  all  the  things  he  has  done  for  us.  They 
are  so  many  that  they  must  needs  crowd  upon  each 
other,  until  they  go  down  behind  the  horizon  of 
memory  like  full  hemispheres  of  stars  that  move  in 
multitudes  and  sink,  not  separate  and  distinguish- 
able, but  multitudinous,  each  casting  light  into  the 
other,  and  so  clouding  each  other  by  common 
brightness. 

THERE  are  moral  crises  in  life  —  certain  conjunc- 
tures of  affairs  when  God  displays  himself  as  he 
never  does  at  other  times ;  and  if  we  do  not  then 
make  observations,  like  some  stellar  phenomena, 
certain  truths  will  not  come  again  for  ages,  and  to 
us,  never ! 

Suppose  a  man  had  travelled  weary  miles  north- 
ward to  see  the  midnight  sun,  and  at  length  he 
reaches  the  little  village  in  Norway  where  astrono- 
mers say  at  twelve  o'clock  the  sun  will  touch  the 
horizon,  and  then  begin  to  ascend.  He  looks  at 
his  watch,  and  sees  that  'it  is  ten  o'clock,  and  says, 
"Some  time  yet.  I  am  tired.  I'll  rest  a  while." 
And  so  he  throws  himself  down,  and  is  soon  lost  in 
slumber.  Meanwhile  the  sun  descends,  till,  at  the 
appointed  time,  his  lower  limb  rests  upon  the  pines 
that  skirt  the  horizon ;  and  then  he  slowly  rises 
again  into  the  great  round  of  heaven.  By  and  by 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  99 

the  man  awakes,  and  looks  at  his  watch,  and  finds 
that  it  is  two  o'clock.  The  sun  is  two  hours  high  ; 
he  has  missed  the  very  thing  which  he  journeyed 
so  far  to  see,  and,  having  but  a  single  day,  must 
needs  depart  as  he  came. 

Now,  there  are  men  who  pray  for  clearer  views 
of  God,  for  a  greater  nearness  to  him,  for  an  opener 
heaven  and  more  resplendent  hope.  At  length, 
God,  who  loves  'to  come  in  storms,  draws  near  to 
them.  Their  sorrow,  their  trouble,  their  confusion 
of  affairs,  the  darkness  about  them,  are  clouds  which 
bring  God  upon  their  bosom.  In  that  solemn 
eclipse,  hid  behind  trouble,  God  would  have  taught 
an  open  ear  some  things  which  the  whole  life  had 
pined  to  know.  He  would  have  shown  them  time, 
men,  affairs,  the  glory  of  the  world,  as  they  see 
them  who  in  heaven  stand  at  God's  right  hand. 
But  men  are  so  absorbed  in  their  trials  that  they 
neither  hear  nor  see.  The  disciples  lost  the  solemn 
passion  of  Christ  through  sleep  ;  and,  until  now, 
sleep  or  tears  have  hid  from  men  those  very  truths 
which  would  have  giveji  everlasting  wakefulness  to 
the  soul,  and  wiped  all  sad  weeping  from  the  eyes. 
No  men  have  need  to  be  so  vigilant,  so  attentive,  so 
listening,  so  appreciative,  as  those  who  are  in  deep 
trouble.  Sorrow  is  Mount  Sinai.  Jf  one  will  go 
up  and  talk  with  God,  face  to  face,  he  must  not 


100  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

fear  the  voice  of  thunder,  nor  the  trumpet  sound- 
ing long  and  loud. 

ONE  of  tne  affecting  features  in  a  life  of  vice  is 
the  longing,  wistful  outlooks  given  by  the  wretches 
who  struggle  with  unbridled  passions,  towards  vir- 
tues which  are  no  longer  within  their  reach.  Men 
in  the  tide  of  vice  are  sometimes  like  the  poor  crea- 
tures swept  down  the  stream  of  mighty  rivers,  who 
see  people  safe  on  shore,  and  trees,  and  flowers,  as 
they  go  quickly  past ;  and  all  things  that  are  desir- 
able gleam  upon  them  for  a  moment  to  heighten 
their  trouble,  and  to  aggravate  their  swift-coming 
destruction. 

TROUBLES  are  often  the  tools  by  which  God  fash- 
ions us  for  better  things.  Far  up  the  mountain 
side  lies  a  block  of  granite,  and  says  to  itself,  "  How 
happy  am  I  in  my  serenity  —  above  the  winds,  above 
the  trees,  almost  above  the  flight  of  the  birds ! 
Here  I  rest,  age  after  age,  and  nothing  disturbs 
me." 

Yet  what  is  it  ?  It  is  .only  a  bare  block  of  gran- 
ite, jutting  out  of  the  cliff,  and  its  happiness  is  the 
happiness  of  death. 

By  and  by  comes  the  miner,  and  with  strong  and 
repeated  strokes  he  drills  a  hole  in  its  top,  and 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  101 

the  rock  says,  "  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  Then  the 
black  powder  is  poured  in,  and  with  a  blast  that 
makes  the  mountain  echo,  the  block  is  blown 
asunder,  and  goes  crashing  down  into  the  valley. 
"  Ah  !  "  it  exclaims  as  it  falls,  "  why  this  rending  ?  " 
Then  come  saws  to  cut  and  fashion  it ;  and  humbled 
now,  and  willing  to  be  nothing,  it  is  borne  away 
from  the  mountain  and  conveyed  to  the  city.  Now 
it  is  chiselled  and  polished,  till,  at  length,  finished 
in  beauty,  by  block  and  tackle  it  is  raised,  with 
mighty  hoistings,  high  in  air,  to  be  the  top-stone  on 
some  monument  of  the  country's  glory. 

So  God  Almighty  casts  a  man  down  when  he 
wants  to  chisel  him,  and  the  chiselling  is  always  to 
make  him  something  finer  and  better  than  he  was 
before. 

IT  is  a  joy  to  know  that  there  is  a  realm  where 
all  those  aspirations  which  have  beckoned  us  only 
to  crown  us  still  with  thorns,  shall  be  realized ;  and 
where  there  is  no  bud  which  shall  not  burst  into 
blossom,  and  no  blossom  which  shall  fall  without 
being  filled  into  fruit. 


LIKE  those  airy  sprites  in  fairy  tales  who  rear  the 
building  through  the  night,  unseen  in  the  process, 

9* 


102  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

but  clear  and  distinct  in  the  morning's  completion, 
so  years,  and  hours,  and  moments  are  silently  rear- 
ing, in  this  world's  darkness,  a  soul-structure  whose 
proportions  the  sunlight  of  eternity  shall  reveal. 


GOD  made  the  world  to  relieve  an  over-full  crea- 
tive thought ;  as  musicians  sing,  as  we  talk,  as  art- 
ists sketch  when  full  of  suggestions.  What  profu- 
sion is  there  in  his  work  !  When  trees  blossom  there 
is  not  a  single  breastpin,  but  a  whole  bosom  full  of 
gems ;  and  of  leaves  they  have  so  many  suits  that 
they  can  throw  them  away  to  the  winds  all  summer 
long.  What  unnumbered  cathedrals  has  He  reared 
in  the  forest  shades,  vast  and  grand,  full  of  curious 
carvings,  and  haunted  evermore  by  tremulous  mu- 
sic ;  and  in  the  heavens  above,  how  do  stars  seem 
to  have  flown  out  of  his  hand,  faster  than  sparks 
out  of  a  mighty  forge  ! 


WHEN  a  man  undertakes  to  repent  towards  his 
fellow-men,  it  is  repenting  straight  up  a  precipice ; 
when,  he  repents  towards  law,  it  is  repenting  into 
the  crocodile's  jaws  ;  when  he  repents  towards  pub- 
lic sentiment,  it  is  throwing  himself  into  a  thicket 
of  brambles  and  thorns  ;  but  when  he  repents  to- 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  103 

wards  God,  he  repents  towards  all  love  and  delicacy. 
God  receives  the  soul  as  the  sea  the  bather,  to  re- 
turn it  again,  purer  and  whiter  than  He  took  it. 


EVERY  Christian  should  begin  to  doubt  himself, 
if  he  finds-,  after  ten  years,  that  self-denial  is  as 
hard  in  the  same  things  as  it  was  at  first. 


THERE  are  joys  which  long  to  be  ours.  God  sends 
ten  thousand  truths,  which  come  about  us  like  birds 
seeking  inlet ;  but  we  are  shut  up  to  them,  and  so 
they  bring  us  nothing,  but"  sit  and  sing  a  while  upon 
the  roof  and  then  fly  away. 


WHEN  a  man  defrauds  you  in  weight,  he  sins 
against  you,  not  against  the  scales,  which  are 
only  the  instrument  of  determining  true  and  false 
weight.  When  men  sin,  it  is  against  God,  and  not 
against  his  law,  which  is  but  the  indicator  of  right 
and  wrong.  You  care  little  for  sins  against  God's 
law.  It  has  no  blood  in  its  veins,  no  sensibility. 
Now,  every  sin  that  you  commit  is  personal  to  God, 
and  not  merely  an  infraction  of  his  law.  It  is  cast- 
ing javelins  and  arrows  of  base  desire  into  His  lov- 


104  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

ing  bosom.  I  think  no  truth  can  be  discovered 
which  would  be  so  powerful  upon  the  moral  sense 
of  men,  as  that  ^fhich  should  disclose  to  them  that 
sinning  is  always  a  personal  offence  against  a  per- 
sonal God.  Law  without,  is  only  an  echo  of  God's 
heart-beat  within. 


PAUL  a^hd  his  companions  meddled,  to  be  sure, 
only  with  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  that,  faith- 
fully preached,  meddles  with  every  thing  else  on 
earth. 


A  TRAITOE  is  good  fruit  to  hang  from  the  boughs 
of  the  tree  of  liberty. 

WHEN  I  used  to  fish  in  mountain  streams,  if  I 
had  a  short  line  and  rod,  I  could  direct  it  easily, 
and  throw  it  into  this  or  that  pool  as  I  pleased  ;  but 
if  I  let  out  my  line  till  it  was  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
long,  I  could  not  direct  it,  but  I  was  the  victim  of 
every  floating  stick,  and  jutting  rock,  and  over- 
hanging bough.  So  I  have  seen  men  wading  down 
the  stream  of  life,  jumping  from  stone  to  stone, 
slipping  on  this  rock,  and  falling  into  that  pool,  be- 
cause their  line  was  so  long  they  could  do  nothing 
with  it  —  a  line  that  reached  down  forty  years, 
sometimes.  Now,  if  you  would  avoid  these  diffi- 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  105 

culties,  shorten  your  line  !  Let  it  reach  over  one 
day  only  ;  for  "  sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof."  To  the  man  who  is  living  weeks  or  years 
in  advance  of  the  present,  God  says,  "  Go  back,  go 
back  to  your  duties.  Work  while  the  day  lasts,  and 
take  no  thought  for  the  morrow.  I  am  master 
down  here." 


WHAT  trees  are  in  summer,  covered  with  leaves 
and  blossoms,  exhaling  perfume,  and  filled  with 
merry  birds  that  sing  out  of  their  hidden  choirs,  are 
Conscience,  Veneration,  Fear  even,  when  they  are 
sinned  upon  by  Love  ;  but,  without  love,  any  of  these 
faculties  is  like  that  tree  in  winter,  through  which 
the  wind  whistles  and  the  storm  —  gaunt,  leafless, 
bloodless. 

"BE  ye  kindly  affectioned  one  towards  another," 
does  not  refer  to  an  occasional  impulse,  but  to  a 
rcservoired  state  of  feeling,  out  of  which  the  va- 
rious parts  of  life  ought  to  flow.  Christian  graces 
should  be  like  Croton  water,  which  presses  from  the 
reservoir  on  every  faucet  in  the  city.  Each  one 
should  be  full  and  ready  for  use  when  needed, 
whereas  they  are  too  often  like  a  pump  run  down 
and  need  a  deal  of  working  before  they  can  supply 
our  need. 


106  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

LABORED  sermons  sometimes  sweep  over  the  mind 
as  winds  sweep  over  the  sea,  leaving  it  more  troubled 
than  before ;  when  one  little  hymn,  child-warbled, 
would  be  to  the  soul  like  Christ's  "  Peace,  be  still," 
to  the  waves  of  Galilee. 


THERE  is  no  class  in  society  who  can  so  ill  afford 
to  undermine  the  conscience  of  the  community,  or 
to  set  it  loose  from  its  moorings  in  the  eternal 
sphere,  as  merchants,  who  live  upon  confidence  and 
credit.  Any  thing  which  weakens  or  paralyzes  this, 
is..taking  beams  from  the  foundations  of  the  mer- 
chant's own  warehouse. 


AN  oak  tree  for  two  hundred  years  grows  solitary. 
It  is  bitterly  handled  by  frosts  ;  it  is  wrestled  with 
by  ambitious  winds,  determined  to  give  it  a  down- 
fall. It  holds  fast  and  grows  alone.  "  What  avails 
all  this  sturdiness  ?  "  it  saith  to  itself.  "  Why  am 
I  to  stand  here  useless  ?  My  roots  are  anchored 
in  rifts  of  rocks  ;  no  herds  can  lie  down  under  my 
shadow  ;  I  am  far  above  singing  birds,  that  seldom 
come  to  rest  among  my  leaves  ;  I  am  set  as  a  mark 
for  storms,  that  bend  and  tear  me  ;  my  fruit  is  ser- 
viceable for  no  appetite  ;  it  had  been  better  for  me 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  107 

to  have  been  a  mushroom,  gathered  in  the  morning 
for  some  poor  man's  table,  than  to  be  a  hundred- 
year  oak,  good  for  nothing." 

While  it  yet  spoke,  the  axe  was  hewing  at  its 
base.  It  died  in  sadness,  saying  as  it  fell,  ';  Weary 
ages  for  nothing  have  I  lived." 

The  axe  completed  its  work.  By  and  by  the 
trunk  and  root  form  the  knees  of  a  stately  ship, 
bearing  the  country's  flag  around  the  world.  Other 
parts  form  keel  and  ribs  of  merchantmen,  and  hav- 
ing defied  the  mountain  storms,  they  now  equally 
resist  the  thunder  of  the  waves  and  the  murky 
threat  of  scowling  hurricanes.  Other  parts  are  laid 
into  floors,  or  wrought  into  wainscoting,  or  carved 
for  frames  of  noble  pictures,  or  fashioned  into  chairs 
that  embosom  the  weakness  of  old  age.  Thus  the  tree, 
in  dying,  came  not  to  its  end,  but  to  its  beginning 
of  life.  It  voyaged  the  world.  It  grew  to  parts  of 
temples  and  dwellings.  It  held  upon  its  surface 
the  soft  tread  of  children  and  the  tottering  steps  of 
patriarchs.  It  rocked  in  the  cradle.  It  swayed  the 
limbs  of  age  by  the  chimney  corner,  and  heard, 
secure  within,  the  roar  of  those  old,  unwearied  tem- 
pests that  once  surged  about  its  mountain  life. 
Thus,  after  its  growth,  its  long  uselessness,  its  cruel 
prostration,  it  became  universally  helpful,  and  did 
by  its  death  what  it  could  never  have  done  by  its 


108  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 


life.  For,  so  long  as  it  was  a  tree,  and  belonged  to 
itself,  it  was  solitary  and  useless ;  but  when  it  gave 
up  its  own  life,  and  became  related  to  others,  then 
its  true  life  began. 

How  solemn  is  that  sentence  of  Christ,  "  And  I, 
if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me"  !  Not  while  he  lived  ;  not  by  his  direct 
force,  but  only  when  pierced,  broken,  slain,  buried, 
should  his  influence  issue  forth,  and  death  should 
become  the  throne  of  his  power.  So  will  it  be  with 
us  if  we  are  Christ's.  Paradoxes  upon  this  truth 
lie  all  through  the  New  Testament,  and  one  may 
walk  on  them,  like  stepping  stones,  from  side  to 
side.  Sorrow  is  joy.  Death  is  life.  Down  is  up. 
Weakness  is  strength.  Loss  is  gain.  Defeat  is  vic- 
tory. The  world's  mightiest  men,  the  very  mon- 
archs  of  its  joy,  were  they  who  died  deaths  daily. 


"I  CAN  forgive,  but  I  cannot  forget,"  is  only 
another  way  of  saying,  "  I  will  not  forgive."  A  for- 
giveness ought  to  be  like  a  cancelled  note,  torn  in  two 
and  burned  up,  so  that  it  never  can  be  shown  against 
the  man. 

NEXT  to  victory,  there  is  nothing  so  sweet  as  de- 
feat, if  only  the  right  adversary  overcomes  you. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  109 

WHEN  we  are  pierced  with  afflictions,  the  way  is 
not  to  go  to  God  and  say,  "  Take  away  this  thorn  !  " 
God  says,  "  No.  I  put  it  there  to  bleed  you  where 
you  are  plethoric." 

Suffering  well  borne  is  better  than  suffering  re- 
moved. Suffering  did  not  slip  in,  as  theologians  make 
so  many  things  to  have  done,  at  the  fall ;  but  it  is  a 
part  of  God's  original  method.  I  know  enough  of 
gardening  to  understand  that  if  I  would  have  a  tree 
grow  upon  its  south  side  I  must  cut  off  the  branches 
there.  Then  all  its  forces  go  to  repairing  the  in- 
jury, and  twenty  buds  ehoot  out  where  otherwise 
there  would  have  been  but  one.  When  we  reach 
the  garden  above,  we  shall  find  that  out  of  those 
very  wounds  over  which  we  sighed  and  groaned  on 
earth,  have  sprung  verdant  branches,  bearing  pre- 
cious fruit,  a  thousand  fold. 


SUFFERING,  in  this  world,  is  both  remedial  and 
penal.  When  it  is  rightly  received  it  is  remedial. 
When  it  is  resisted,  it  becomes  penal  to  him  who 
resists,  and  admonitory  to  the  spectator. 

Suffering  is  the  jarring  of  the  faculties  of  the 

mind  one  upon  another,  and  it  never  will  cease  till 

they  are  all   tuned  to  harmony.     There  are  two 

ways  of  escaping  from  suffering  ;  the  one  by  rising 

10 


110  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

above  the  causes  of  conflict,  the  other  by  sinking 
below  them  ;  for  there  is  quiet  in  the  soul  whenever 
all  its  faculties  are  harmonized  about  any  centre. 
The  one  is  the  religious  method  ;  the  other  is  the 
vulgar,  worldly  method.  The  one  is  called  Chris- 
tian elevation  ;  the  other  stoicism. 


GOD'S  promises  are  the  comfort  of  my  life.  With- 
out them  I  could  not  stand  for  an  hour  in  the  whirl 
and  eddy  of  things,  in  the  sweep  and  surge  of 
the  nations  ;  but  I  cannot  tell  how  he  will  fulfil 
them,  any  more  than  I  can  tell  from  just  what 
quarter  the  first  flock  of  bluebirds  will  come  in  the 
spring.  Yet  I  am  sure  that  the  spring  will  come 
upon  the  wings  of  ten  thousand  birds. 


LET  every  man  come  to  God  in  his  own  way. 
God  made  you  on  purpose,  and  me  on  purpose,  and 
lie  does  not  say  to  you,  "  Repent,  and  feel  as  Deacon 
A.  feels,"  or,  "  Repent,  and  feel  as  your  minister 
feels,"  but,  "  Come  just  as  you  are,  with  your  mind, 
and  heart,  and  education,  and  circumstances." 

You  are  too  apt  to  feel  that  your  religious  expe- 
rience must  be  the  same  as  others  have  ;  but  where 
will  you  find  analogies  for  this  ?  Certainly  not  in 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  Ill 

nature.  God's  works  do  not  come  from  his  hand 
like  coins  from  the  mint.  It  seems  as  if  it  were  a 
necessity  that  each  one  should  be  in  some  sort  dis- 
tinct from  every  other.  No  two  leaves  on  the  same 
tree  are  precisely  alike ;  no  two  buds  on  one  bush 
have  the  same  unfolding,  nor  do  they  seek  to  have. 

What  if  God  should  command  the  flowers  to  ap- 
pear before  him,  and  the  sunflower  should  come 
bending  low  with  shame  because  it  was  not  a  violet, 
and  the  violet  should  come  striving  to  lift  itself 
up  to  be  like  a  sunflower,  and  the  lily  should  seek 
to  gain  the  bloom  of  the  rose,  and  the  rose  the 
whiteness  of  the  lily  ;  and  so,  each  one,  disdaining 
itself,  should  seek  to  grow  into  the  likeness  of  the 
other.  God  would  say,  "  Stop,  foolish  flowers!  I 
gave  you  your  own  forms,  and  hues,  and  odors, 
and  I  wish  you  to  bring  what  you  have  received. 
0  sunflower,  come  as  a  sunflower ;  and  you,  sweet 
violet,  come  as  a  violet ;  and  let  the  rose  bring  the 
rose's  bloom,  and  the  lily  the  lily's  whiteness." 
Perceiving  their  folly,  and  ceasing  to  long  for  what 
they  had  not,  violet  and  rose,  lily  and  geranium, 
mignonette  and  anemone,  and  all  the  floral  train, 
would  come,  each  in  in  its  own  loveliness,  to  send 
up  its  fragrance  as  incense,  and  all  to  wreathe  them- 
selves in  a  garland  of  beauty  about  the  throne  of  God. 

Now,  God  speaks  to  you  as  to  the  flowers,  and 


112  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

says,  "  Come  with  the  form  and  nature  that  I  gave 
you.  If  you  are  made  a  violet,  come  as  a  violet. 
If  you  are  a  rose,  come  as  a  rose.  If  you  are  a 
shrub,  do  not  desire  to  be  a  tree.  Let  every  thing 
abide  in  the  nature  which  I  gave  it,  and  grow  to  the 
full  excellence  that  is  contained  in  that  nature." 

Tlie  popular  impression  is,  that  grace  is  designed 
to  change  men  from  nature.  No.  They  are  sinful 
simply  because  they  have  deviated  from  their  true 
nature,  or  fallen  short  of  it.  Grace  is  given  to 
bring  out  the  fulness  of  everyman's  nature.  Not 
the  nature  which  schoolmen  write  about ;  but  that 
nature  which  God  thought  of  when  he  put  forth 
man,  and  pronounced  him  a  child  of  God,  bear- 
ing his  Father's  likeness. 


MEN  are  not  so  much  mistaken  in  desiring  to 
advance  themselves  as  in  judging  what  will  be  an 
advance,  and  what  the  right  method  of  it.  An 
ambition  which  has  conscience  in  it  will  always  be 
a  laborious  and  faithful  engineer,  and  will  build 
the  road,  and  bridge  the  chasms  between  itself  and 
eminent  success  by  the  most  faithful  and  minute 
performances  of  duty.  The  "liberty  to  go  higher 
than  we  are  is  given  only  when  we  have  fulfilled 
amply  the  duty  of  our  present  sphere.  Thus  men 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  113 

arc  to  rise  upon  their  performances,  and  not  upon 
their  discontent.  And  this  is  the  secret  and  golden 
meaning  of  the  command  to  be  content  in  whatever 
sphere  we  are  placed.  It  is  not  to  be  the  content 
of'  indifference,  of  indolence,  of  unambitious  stu- 
pidity, but  the  content  of  industrious  fidelity. 
When  men  are  building  the  foundations  of  vast 
structures,  they  must  needs  labor  far  below  the  sur- 
face, and  in  disagreeable  conditions.  But  every 
course  of  stone  which  they  lay  raises  them  higher ; 
and  at  length,  when  they  reach  the  surface,  they 
have  laid  such  solid  work  under  them  that  they 
need  not  fear  now  to  carry  up  their  walls,  through 
towering  stories,  till  they  overlook  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood. A  man  proves  himself  fit  to  go  higher 
who  shows  that  he  is  faithful  where  he  is.  A  mail 
that  will  not  do  well  in  his  present  place,  because 
he  longs  to  be  higher,  is  fit  neither  to  be  where  he 
is  nor  yet  above  it;  he  is  already  too  high,  and 
should  be  put  lower. 


MANY  people  use  their  refinements  as  a  spider 
uses  his  web  —  to  catch  the  weak  upon,  that  they 
may  be  mercilessly  devoured.  Why  not,  rather,  as 
the  silkworm  uses  its  web  ?  It  lives  to  spin  it,  and 
dies  that  it  may  yield  it  for  others'  benefit. 
10* 


114  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

It  is  not  wrong  that  men  who  have  intellectual 
powers  and  tastes  like  ours  should  become  agree- 
able to  us ;  but  that  those  who  have  them  not 
should  become  to  us  disagreeable  is  wrong.  Every 
man  should  use  his  intellect,  not  as  those  who  study 
in  their  libraries,  when  all  the  world  is  asleep,  use 
their  lamps,  for  their  own  seeing  only ;  but  as  light 
houses  use  their  lanterns,  that. those  who  are  far  off 
upon  the  deep  may  see  the  shining,  and  learn  their 
way.  God  appoints  our  graces  to  be  nurses  to  other 
men's  weaknesses. 

* 
A  EELIGIOUS  life  is  not  a  thing  which  spends  itself 

like  a  bright  bubble  on  the  river's  surface.  It  is 
rather  like  the  river  itself,  which  widens  continu- 
ally, and  is  never  so  broad  or  so  deep  as  at  its 
mouth,  where  it  rolls  into  the  ocean  of  eternity. 


MEN  are  afraid  of  slight  outward  acts  which  will 
injure  them  in  the  eyes  of  others,  while  they  are 
heedless  of  the  damnation  which  throbs  in  their 
souls  in  hatreds,  and  jealousies,  and  revenges. 

They  are  more  troubled  by  the  outburst  of  a 
sinful  disposition,  than  by  the  disposition  itself. 
It  is  not  the  evil,  but  its  reflex  effect  upon  them- 
selves, that  they  dread.  It  is  the  love  of  approba- 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  115 

tion,  and  not  the  conscience,  that  enacts  the  part 
of  a  moral  sense,  in  this  case.  If  a  man  covets,  he 
steals.  If  a  man  has  murderous  hate,  he  murders. 
If  a  man  broods  dishonest  thoughts,  he  is  a  knave. 
If  a  .man  harbors  sharp  and  bitter  jealousies,  envies, 
hatreds,  though  he  never  express  them  by  his  tongue, 
or  shape  them  by  his  hand,  they  are  there.  Society, 
to  be  sure,  is  less  injured  by  their  latent  existence 
than  it  would  be  by  their  overt  forms.  But  the  man 
himself  is  as  much  injured  by  the  cherished  thoughts 
of  evil,  in  his  own  soul,  as  by  the  open  commission 
of  it,  and  sometimes  even  more.  For  evil  brought 
out  ceases  to  disguise  itself,  and  seems  as  hideous 
|is  it  is.  But  evil  that  lurks  and  glances  through 
the  soul  avoids  analysis,  and  evades  detection. 

There  are  many  good-seeming  men  who,  if  all 
their  day's  thoughts  and  feelings  were  to  be  sud- 
denly developed  into  acts,  visible  to  the  eye,  would 
run.  from  themselves,  as  men  in  earthquakes  run 
from  the  fiery  gapings  of  the  ground,  and  sulphur- 
ous cracks  that  open  the  way  to  the  uncooled  centre 
of  perdition. 

PRIDE  slays  thanksgiving,  but  a  humble  mind  is 
the  soil  out  of  which  thanks  naturally  grow.  A 
proud  man  is  seldom  a  grateful  man,  for  he  never 
thinks  he  gets  as  much  as  he  deserves.  When  any 


116  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

mercy  falls,  he  says,  "  Yes,  but  it  ought  to  be  more, 
It  is  only  manna  as  large  as  a  coriander  seed,  where- 
as it  ought  to  be  like  a  baker's  loaf." 

How  base  a  pool  God's  mercies  fall  into,  when 
they  plash  down  into  such  a  heart  as  that ! 

If  one  should  give  me  a  dish  of  sand,  and  tell 
me  there  were  particles  of  iron  in  it,  I  might  look 
for  them  with  my  eyes,  and  search  for  them  with 
my  clumsy  fingers,  and  be  unable  to  detect  them ; 
but  let  me  take  a  magnet  and  sweep  through  it,  and 
how  would  it  draw  to  itself  the  almost  invisible 
particles,  by  the  mere  power  of  attraction !  The 
unthankful  heart,  like  my  finger  in  the  sand,  dis- 
covers no  mercies  ;  but  let  the  thankful  heart  sweep 
through  the  day,  and  as  the  magnet  finds  the  iron, 
so  it  will  find  in  every  hour  some  heavenly  bless- 
ings ;  only  the  iron  in  God's  sand  is  gold. 


THERE  are  many  Christians  who,  all  their  life 
long,  carry  their  hope  as  a  boy  carries  a  bird's  nest 
containing  an  unfledged  bird  that  can  scarcely  peep, 
much  less  sing  —  a  poor,  fledgeless  hope. 


WE  must  not  make  the  ideas  of  contentment  and 
aspiration  quarrel,  for  God  made  them  fast  friends. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  117 

A  man  may  aspire,  and  yet  be  quite  content  until 
it  is  time  to  rise.  A  bird  that  sits  patiently  while 
it  broods  its  eggs  flies  bravely  afterwards,  leading 
up  its  timid  young.  And  both  flying  and  resting 
are  but  parts  of  one  contentment.  The  very  fruit 
of  the  gospel  is  aspiration.  It  is  to  the  human 
heart  what  spring  is  to  the  earth ;  making  every 
root,  and  bud,  and  bough  desire  to  be  more. 


REPENTANCE  is  neither  base  nor  bitter.  It  is 
good  rising  up  out  of  evil.  It  is  the  resurrection 
of  your  thoughts  out  of  graves  of  lust.  Repent- 
ance is  the  turning  of  the  soul  from  the  way  of 
midnight  to  the  point  of  the  coming  sun.  Dark- 
ness drops  from  the  face,  and  silver  light  dawns 
upon  it.  Do  not  live,  day  by  day,  trying  to  repent, 
but  fearing  the  struggle  and  the  suffering.  Deferred 
repentance,  in  generous  natures,  is  a  greater  pain 
than  would  be  the  sorrow  of  real  repentance. 
Manly  regret  for  wrong  never  weakens,  but  always 
strengthens  the  heart.  As  some  plants  of  the  bit- 
terest root  have  the  whitest  and  sweetest  blossoms, 
so  the  bitterest  wrong  has  the  sweetest  repentance, 
which,  indeed,  is  only  the  soul  blossoming  back  to 
its  better  nature. 


118  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

CHRIST  never  seems  to  us  so  sweet  and  glorious, 
as  when  he  orbs  himself  over  the  sea  of  our  sinfulness 
and  ingratitude. 

NOT  parties,  but  principles.  Let  us  be  of  no 
party  but  God's  party,  and  use  all  other  agencies 
as  we  use  railroad  cars  —  travelling  upon  one  train 
as  far  as  it  will  take  us  in  the  right  direction,  and 
then  leaving  it  for  another. 


WHEN  we  think  of  the  labor  required  to  rear  the 
few  that  are  in  our  households,  —  the  weariness, 
the  anxiety,  the  burden  of  life,  —  how  wonderful 
seems  God's  work  !  for  he  carries  heaven,  and  earth, 
and  all  realms  in  his  bosom. 

Many  think  that  God  takes  no  thought  for  any 
thing  less  than  a  star  or  a  mountain,  and  is  unmind- 
ful of  the  little  things  of  life  ;  but  when  I  go  abroad, 
the  first  thing  which  I  see  is  the  grass  beneath  my 
feet,  and,  nestling  in  that,  flowers  smaller  yet,  and, 
lower  still,  the  mosses  with  their  inconspicuous 
blooms,  which  beneath  the  microscope  glow  with 
beauty.  And  if  God  so  cares  for  "  the  grass  of  the 
field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the 
oven,"  shall  he  not  much  more  care  for  the  minutest 
things  of  your  life,  "  0  ye  of  little  faith"  ? 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  119 

EVERY  child  walks  into  existence  through  the 
golden  gate  of  love,  else  it  would  seem  wonderful 
that  the  helpless  thing  should  be  born.  Yet  chil- 
dren are  not  playthings,  as  we  too  often  seem  to 
think  they  are  —  mere  gifts  of  God  to. fill  up  the 
hours  with  cheer.  They  were  surely  meant  to  be 
a  pleasure  to  us,  but  that  is  not  the  final  end.  Nor 
were  they  meant  to  be  cares  and  burdens  alone. 
To  speak  of  them  as  if  they  were  shackles  and  fet- 
ters upon  our  freedom  ;  always  in  the  way ;  "  chil- 
dren, children,  every  where,"  is  a  shame  and  a  sin. 
They  arc  to  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  our  education. 
Men  cannot  be  developed  perfectly  who  have  not 
been  compelled  to  bring  children  up  to  manhood. 
You  might  as  well  say  that  a  tree  is  a  perfect  tree 
without  leaf  or  blossom,  as  to  say  that  a  man  is  a 
man  who  has  gone  through  life  without  experien- 
cing the  influences  that  come  from  bending  down, 
and  giving  one's  self  up  to  those  who  are  helpless 
and  little. 

Children  make  men  better  citizens.  When  your 
own  child  comes  in  from  the  street,  and  has  learned 
to  swear  from  the  boys  congregated  there,  it  is  a 
very  different  thing  to  you  from  what  it  was  when 
you  heard  the  profanity  of  those  boys  as  you  passed 
them.  Now  it  makes  you  feel  that  you  are  a  stock- 
holder in  the  public  morality.  Of  what  use  would 


120  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

an  engine  be  to  a  ship,  if  it  were  lying  loose  in  the 
hull  ?  It  must  be  fastened  to  it  with  bolts  and 
screws,  before  it  can  propel  the  vessel.  Now,  a 
childless  man  is  like  a  loose  engine.  A  man  must 
be  bolted  and  screwed  to  the  community  before  he 
can  work  well  for  its  advancement ;  and  there  are 
no  such  screws  and  bolts  as  children. 


A  GREAT  deal  of  our  heart  life  is  cryptogamous  — 
mosses  and  inconspicuous  blooms  hidden  in  the 
grass,  thoughtlets,  the  intents  of  the  heart.  We  are 
hardly  aware  of  this  life ;  but  as  God  sees  in  winter 
all  the  flowers  which  are  yet  sleeping  beneath  the 
soil,  so  he  sees  all  the  hidden  feelings  of  our  hearts. 
He  knows  every  root,  and  what  will  spring  from  it, 
and  comprehends  its  intents,  which  are  yet  but 
germs,  as  well  as  its  thoughts,  which  have  already 
blossomed. 

SOME  people  think  black  is  the  color  of  heaven, 
and  that  the  more  they  can  make  their  faces  look 
like  midnight,  the  more  evidence  they  have  of  grace. 
But  God,  who  made  the  sun  and  the  flowers,  never 
sent  me  to  proclaim  to  you  such  a  lie  as  that.  We 
are  told  to  "  rejoice  in  the  Lord  always."  What 
then  ?  "  And  again  I  say,  Rejoice."  Thus,  in 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  121 

a  message  in  which  there  was  time  for  but  two 
things,  both  of  them  were  joy.  The  test  of  your 
Christian  character  should  be,  that  you  are  a  joy- 
bearing  agent  to  the  world. 


THE  discipline  of  this  world  is  to  take  a  creature 
born  in  a  physical  condition,  and  to  develop  in  him 
the  higher  life  of  the  affections,  until  he  can  use 
the  inward  faculties,  instead  of  the  outward  senses, 
to  recognize  truth.  This  is  called  faith ;  and, 
instead  of  faith's  being  a  difficult  thing,  a  man  has 
to  throw  the  dead  wood  of  logic  and  of  scepticism 
right  across  the  current  of  his  life  to  prevent  him 
from  exercising  it. 

Do  not  come  to  me,  and  tell  nib  you  are  fit  to  join 
the  church  because  you  love  to  pray  morning  and 
night.  Tell  me  what  your  praying  has  done  for 
you  ;  and  then  call  your  neighbors,  and  let  me  hear 
what  they  think  it  has  done  for  you. 


IF  a  thing  reflects  no  light,  it  is  l^Jack ;  if  it  re- 
flects part  of  the  rays,  it  is  blue,  or  indigo,  or  red ; 
but  if  it  reflects  them  all,  it  is  white.     If  we  are 
like  Christ,  we  shall  seek,  not  to  absorb,  but  to  re- 
11 


122  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

fleet  the  light  which  falls  upon  us  from  heaven  upon 
others,  and  thus  we  shall  become  pure  and  spotless ; 
for  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  "  white  robes  "  which 
the  saints  wear  in  glory. 


A  BABE  is  a  mother's  anchor.  She  cannot  swing 
far  from  her  moorings.  And  yet  a  true  mother 
never  lives  so  little  in  the  present  as  when  by  the 
side  of  the  cradle.  Her  thoughts  follow  the  ima- 
gined future  of  her  child.  That  babe  is  the  boldest 
of  pilots,  and  guides  her  fearless  thoughts  down 
through  scenes  of  coming  years.  The  old  ark  never 
made  such  voyage  as  the  cradle  daily  makes. 


WITH  every  child  we  lose  we  see  deeper  into  life, 
as  with  every  added  lens  we  pierce  farther  the  sky. 


GOD  will  accept  your  first  attempt,  not  as  a  per- 
fect work,  but  as  a  beginning.  The  beginning  is 
the  promise  of  the  end.  The  seed  always  whispers 
"  oak,"  though  it  is  going  into  the  ground,  acorn. 
I  am  sure  that  the  first  little  blades  of  wheat  are 
just  as  pleasant  to  the  farmer's  eyes,  as  the  whole 
field  waving  with  grain. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS. 


WE  grieve  that  our  days  are  so  inharmonious. 
Our  hearts  are  continually  going  in  and  out,  as  it 
were,  of  eclipses.  Yesterday  jostles  to-day,  and  to- 
morrow will  carry  them  both  away  captive. 


MAY  God  make  us  patient  to  live.  Not  that  we 
should  not  have  aspirations ;  but  till  the  flying 
comes,  let  us  brood  contentedly  upon  our  nests. 


WHEN  Allston  died,  he  left  many  pictures  which 
were  mostly  sketches,  yet  with  here  and  there  a 
part  finished  up  with  wonderful  beauty.  So  I  think 
Christians  go  to  heaven  with  their  virtues  mostly  in 
outline,  only  here  and  there  a  part  completed.  But 
"  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away,"  and  God 
shall  finish  the  pictures  in  his  own  forms  and  colors. 


EVERY  use  of  the  past  which  leaves  you  with  the 
feeling  of  the  past,  is  a  wrong  use.  If  you  take 
the  suffering  and  death  of  Christ  in  the  old  Jeru- 
salem aright,  they  will  lead  you  to  the  new  Jerusa- 
lem, where  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
us.  Because  the  Bible  came  to  us  from  the  past, 
we  are  not  to  seek  God  backwards,  as  if  Christ  were 


124  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

living  in  his  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  Je- 
hovah, wrapped  in  the  mantle  of  four  thousand  years, 
dwelt  upon  Sinai.  God  is  the  eternal  now,  and  we 
are  to  look  up  and  forward  for  the  ever-living 
Saviour. 

A  CHRISTIAN  man's  life  is  laid  in  the  loom  of  time 
to  a  pattern  which  he  does  not  see,  but  God  does ; 
and  his  heart  is  a  shuttle.  On  one  side  of  the  loom 
is  sorrow,  and  on  the  other  is  joy ;  and  the  shuttle, 
struck  alternately  by  each,  flies  back  and  forth,  car- 
rying the  thread,  which  is  white  or  black,  as  the 
pattern  needs  ;  and  in  the  end,  when  God  shall  lift 
up  the  finished  garment,  and  all  its  changing  hues 
shall  glance  out,  it  will  then  appear  that  the  deep 
and  dark  colors  were  as  needful  to  beauty  as  the 
bright  and  high  colors. 


No  man  is  perfect.  The  ideal  man  is  the  whole 
Christian  brotherhood.  That  alone  presents  God's 
idea  in  the  creation  of  man. 


WHAT  wonderful  provision  God  has  made  for  us, 
spreading  out  the  Bible  into  types  of  nature  ! 

What  if  every  part  of  your  house  should  bepin 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  125 

to  repeat  the  truths  which  have  been  committed  to 
its  symbolism  ?  The  lowest  stone  would  say,  in  si- 
lence of  night,  "Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay." 
The  corner  stone  would  catch  the  word,  "  Christ  is 
the  corner  stone."  The  door  would  add,  "I  am 
the  door."  The  taper  burning  by  your  bedside 
would  stream  up  a  moment  to  tell  you,  "  Christ  is 
the  light  of  the  world."  If  you  gaze  upon  your 
children,  they  reflect  from  their  sweetly-sleeping 
faces  the  words  of  Christ,  "  Except  ye  become  like 
little  children."  If,  waking,  you  look  towards  your 
parents'  couch,  from  that  sacred  place  God  calls 
himself  your  father  and  your  mother.  Disturbed 
by  the  crying  of  your  children,  who  are  affrighted 
in  a  dream,  you  rise  to  soothe  them,  and  hear  God 
saying,  "So  will  I  wipe  away  all  tears  from  your 
eyes  in  heaven."  Returning  to  your  bed,  you  look 
from  the  window.  Every  star  hails  you,  but,  chief- 
est,  "  the  bright  and  morning  Star."  By  and  by, 
flaming  from  the  east,  the  flood  of  morning  bathes 
your  dwelling,  and  calls  you  forth  to  the  cares  of  the 
day,  and  then  you  remember  that  God  is  the  sun, 
and  that  heaven  is  bright  with  his  presence.  Drawn 
by  hunger,  you  approach  the  table.  The  loaf  whis- 
pers as  you  break  it,  "  Broken  for  you,"  and  the 
wheat  of  the  loaf  sighs,  "  Bruised  and  ground  for 
you."  The  water  that  quenches  your  thirst  says, 
11* 


126  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

"  I  am  the  water  of  life."  If  you  wash  your  hands, 
you  can  but  remember  the  teachings  of  spiritual 
purity.  If  you  wash  your  feet,  that  hath  been  done 
sacredly  by  Christ,  as  a  memorial.  The  very  roof 
of  your  dwelling  hath  its  utterance,  and  bids  you 
look  for  the  day  when  God's  house  shall  receive  its 
top  stone. 

Go  forth  to  your  labor,  and  what  thing  can  you 
see 'that  hath  not  its  message  ?  The  ground  is  full 
of  sympathy.  The  flowers  have  been  printed  with 
teachings.  The  trees,  that  only,  seem  to  shake  their 
leaves  in  sport,  are  framing  divine  sentences.  The 
birds  tell  of  heaven  with  their  love-warblings  in  the 
green  twilight.  The  sparrow  is  a  preacher  of  truth. 
The  hen  clucks  and  broods  her  chickens,  uncon- 
scious that  to  the  end  of  the  world  she  is  part  and 
parcel  of  a  revelation  of  God  to  man.  The  sheep 
that  bleat  from  the  pastures,  the  hungry  wolves  that 
blink  in  the  forest,  the  serpent  that  glides  noiselessly 
in  the  grass,  the  raven  t^Jiat  flies  heavily  across  the 
field,  the  lily  over  which  his  shadow  passes,  the 
plough,  the  sickle,  the  wain,  the  barn,  the  flail,  the 
threshing  floor,  all  of  them  are  consecrated  priests, 
unrobed  teachers,  revelators  that  see  no  vision  them- 
selves, but  that  bring  to  us  thoughts  of  truth,  con- 
tentment, hope,  and  love.  All  are  ministers  of 
God.  The  whole  earth  dotli  praise  him,  and  show 
forth  his  glory ! 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  127 

DR.  KANE,  finding  a  flower  under  the  Humboldt 
glacier,  was  more  affected  by  it  because  it  grew  be' 
neath  the  lip  and  cold  bosom  of  the  ice  than  he 
would  have  been  by  the  most  gorgeous  garden 
bloom.  So  some  single  struggling  grace,  in  the 
heart  of  one  far  removed  from  divine  influences, 
may  be  dearer  to  God  than  a  whole  catalogue  of 
virtues  in  the  life  of  one  more  favored  of  Heaven. 


*  LET  us  interrupt  the  flow  of  the  week,  and  rear 
up  another  Sabbath  in  the  middle  of  it.  And,  as 
those  who  swim  mighty  streams  do  stop,  panting,  to 
rest  upon  some  midway  rock  ere  they  plunge  again 
into  the  tide,  so  let  us  rest  here,  lifted  up  above  the 
tumult  of  earthly  care,  and  gain  strength,  before 
we  go  do\vn  again  into  the  dark  ford,  for  the  farther 
shore — the  Sabbath. 


IF  a  bell  were  hung  high  in  heaven  which  the 
angels  swung  whenever  a  man  was  lost,  how  inces- 
santly would  it  toll  in  days  of  prosperity  for  men 
gone  down,  for  honor  lost,  for  integrity  lost,  and  for 
manhood  lost,  beyond  recall !  But  in  times  of  dis- 

*  Addressed  to  the  church  at  a  Wednesday  evening  lecture. 


128  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

aster  the  sounds  would  intermit,  and  the  angels 
looking  down  would  say,  "  He  that  findeth  his  life 
shall  lose  it,  but  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it." 

Do  you  ask  me  whether  I  would  help  a  slave  to 
gain  his  freedom  ?  I  answer,  I  would  help  him 
with  heart,  and  hand,  and  voice.  I  would  do  for 
him  what  I  shall  wish  I  had  done,  when,  having  lost 
his  dusky  skin  and  blossomed  into  the  light  of  eter- 
nity, he  and  I  shall  stand  before  our  Master,  who 
will  say,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  him,  slave  as 
he  was,  ye  did  it  unto  me." 


THERE  is  an  ugly  kind  of  forgiveness  in  this 
world  —  a  kind  of  hedgehog  forgiveness,  shot  out 
like  quills.  Men  take  one  who  has  offended,  and 
set  him  down  before  the  blowpipe  of  their  indigna- 
tion, and  scorch  him,  and  burn  his  fault  into  him ; 
and  when  they  have  kneaded  him  sufficiently  with 
their  fiery  fists,  then  —  they  forgive  him. 


THE  man  who  throws  his  plans  into  the  current 
of  divine  Providence,  will  never  want  room  to  float 
his  hull. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  129 

MEN  often  abstain  from  the  grosser  vices  as  too 
coarse  and  common  for  their  appetites,  while  the 
vices  which  are  frosted  and  ornamented  are  served 
up  to  them  as  delicacies. 


IT  is  with  the  singing  of  a  congregation  as  with 
the  sighing  of  the  wind  in  the  forest,  where  the 
notes  of  the  million  rustling  leaves,  and  the  boughs 
striking  upon  each  other,  altogether  make  a  har- 
mony, no  matter  what  be  the  individual  discords. 


LAWS  and  institutions  are  constantly  tending  to 
gravitate.  Like  clocks,  they  must  be  occasionally 
cleansed,  and  wound  up,  and  set  to  true  time. 


MANY  people  are  afraid  to  embrace  religion,  for 
fear  they  shall  not  succeed  in  maintaining  it. 

Does  the  spring  say,  "  I  will  not  come  unless  I 
can  bring  all  fruits  and  sheaves  under  my  wings  ?  " 
No.  She  casts  down  loving  glances  in  February, 
and  in  March  she  ventures  near  in  mild  days,  but 
is  beaten  back  and  overthrown  by  storm  and  wind. 
Yet  she  returns,  and  finally  yields  the  earth  to 
April,  far  readier  for  life  than  »she  found  it.  The 


130  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

rains  are  still  cold,  but  the  grass  is  growing  green, 
and  the  buds  are  swelling.  In  May  the  air  is  yet 
chilly,  but  it  has  the  odor  of  flowers,  and  every  day 
grows  warmer  till  the  delicious  June,  when  all  is 
bloom  and  softness,  and  even  the  storms  have  nour- 
ishment in  them.  Then  come  the  glowing  July  and 
the  fervid  August,  followed  by  the  glorious  autumn 
of  harvest  and  victory  ! 

And  slij.ll  nature  do  so  much,  while  we  dare  not 
attempt  to  overcome  the  coldness  and  deadness  of 
our  hearts,  and  to  fill  them  with  the  summer  of 
love? 

WHEN  flowers  are  full  of  heaven-descended  dews, 
they  always  hang  their  heads  ;  but  men  hold  theirs 
the  higher  the  more  they  receive,  getting  proud  as 
they  get  full. 

THE  aster  has  not  wasted  spring  and  summer  be- 
cause it  has  not  blossomed.  It  has  been  all  the 
time  preparing  for  what  is  to  follow,  and  in  autumn 
it  is  the  glory  of  the  field,  and  only  the  frost  lays  it 
low.  So  there  are  many  people  who  must  live  forty 
or  fifty  years,  and  have  the  crude  sap  of  their  nat- 
ural dispositions  changed  and  sweetened  before  the 
blossoming  time  can  come  ;  but  their  life  has  not 
been  wasted. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  131 

WHEN  people  undertake  to  restrain  themselves 
without  knowing  how,  they  are  often  worse  off  than 
if  they  had  let  themselves  alone ;  just  as  a  stream, 
when  you  throw  a  little  dam  across  it,  bubbles 
and  plunges  all  the  more. 


WORLDLY  joy  is  like  the  songs  which  peasants 
sing,  full  of  melodies  and  sweet  airs.  Christian 
joy  has  its  sweet  airs  too  ;  but  they  are  augmented 
to  harmonies,  so  that  he  who  has  it  goes  to  heaven, 
not  to  the  voice  of  a  single  flute,  but  to  that  of  a 
whole  band  of  instruments,  discoursing  wondrous 
music. 


GOD  puts  the  excess  of  hope  in  one  man  in  order 
that  it  may  be  a  medicine  to  the  man  who  is  de^ 
spondent. 

IF  some  cynical  people  had  been  by  when  God 
was  making  the  human  mind,  as  he  took  up  Faith, 
they  would  have  said,  "Put  in  that,"  and  as  he 
took  up  Conscience,  "  Put  in  that,"  and  Fear,  "  Put 
in  that ; "  but  as  he  took  up  Mirthfulness,  they  would 
have  touched  his  arm  and  said.  "  Don't  put  that 
in !  "  Fortunately,  such  people  were  not  the  coun- 
sellors of  God.  Mirthfulness  is  in  the  mind,  and 


132  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

you  cannot  get  it  out.  It  is  the  blessed  spirit  that 
God  has  set  in  the  mind  to  dust  it,  to  enliven  its 
dark  places,  and  to  drive  asceticism,  like  a  foul 
fiend,  out  at  the  back  door.  It  is  just  as  good,  in 
its  place,  as  Conscience  or  Veneration.  Praying 
can  no  more  be  made  a  substitute  for  smiling,  than 
smiling  can  for  praying. 


Do  not  be  troubled  because  you  have  not  great 
virtues.  God  made  a  million  spears  of  grass  where 
he  made  one  tree.  The  earth  is  fringed  and  car- 
peted, not  with  forests,  but  with  grasses.  Only  have 
enough  of  little  virtues  and  common  fidelities,  and 
you  need  not  mourn  because  you  are  neither  a  hero 
nor  a  saint. 

I  USED  to  think  the  Lord's  Prayer  was  a  short 
prayer ;  but,  as  I  live  longer,  and  see  more  of  life,  I 
begin  to  believe  there  is  no  such  thing  as  getting 
through  it.  If  a  man,  in  praying  that  prayer,  were 
to  be  stopped  by  every  word  until  he  had  thorough- 
ly prayed  it,  it  would  take  him  a  lifetime.  "  Our 
Father"  —  there  would  be  a  wall  a  hundred  feet 
high  in  just  those  two  words  to  most  men.  If  they 
might  say,  "  Our  Tyrant,"  or  "  Our  Monarch,"  or 
even  "  Our  Creator,"  they  could  get  along  with  it ; 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  133 

but  "  Our  Father"  —  why,  a  man  is  almost  a  saint 
who  can  pray  that. 

You  read,  "Thy  will  be  done,"  and  you  say  to 
yourself,  "  0,  I  can  pray  that ; "  and  all  the  time 
your  mind  goes  round  and  round  in  immense  cir- 
cuits and  far-off  distances  ;  but  God  is  continually 
bringing  the  circuits  nearer  to  you,  till  he  says, 
"  How  is  it  about  your  temper  and  your  pride  ? 
How  is  it  about  your  business  and  your  daily 
life  ? " 

•This  is  a  revolutionary  petition.  It  would  make 
many  a  man's  shop  and  store  tumble  to  the  ground 
to  utter  it.  Who  can  stand  at  the  end  of  the  ave- 
nue along  which  all  his  pleasant  thoughts  and 
wishes  are  blossoming  like  flowers,  and  send  these 
terrible  words,  "  Thy  will  be  done,"  crashing  down 
through  it  ?  I  think  it  is  the  most  fearful  prayer 
to  pray  in  the  world. 


EVERY  well-doer  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  my 
blood  relation  through  Jesus  Christ.  I  feel  his  heart 
beating  right  up  to  my  ribs,  and  mine  beating  back 
to  his.  All  the  good  passed  away  and  transfigured 
into  glory  are  mine.  My  own  mother  is  not  more 
really,  though  more  tenderly,  mine,  than  is  the 
mother  of  St.  Ghrysostorn  or  St.  Augustine  ;  and 
12 


134  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

I  belong  to  every  man  at  whose  soul  God's  angel 
has  knocked,  so  that  he  has  received  the  divine  life. 


WHEN  a  man's  pride  is  thoroughly  subdued,  it  is 
like  the  sides  of  Mount  Etna.  It  was  terrible  while 
the  eruption  lasted  and  the  lava  flowed  ;  but  when 
that  is  past,  and  the  lava  is  turned  into  soil,  it  grows 
vineyards  and  olive  trees  up  to  the  very  top. 


MEN  have  different  spheres.  It  is  for  some  to 
evolve  great  moral  truths,  as  the  heavens  evolve 
stars,  to  guide  the  sailor  on  the  sea  and  the  trav 
eller  on  the  desert ;  and  it  is  for  some,  like  the 
sailor  and  the  traveller,  simply  to  be  guided. 


You  are  in  a  hurry  to  see  the  world  in  its  latter- 
day  glory  ;  and  well  you  may  be,  for  you  have  but  a 
little  time.  But  God  is  not  in  a  hurry.  There  is 
no  such  thing  as  time  with  God.  The  world  is  his 
seed-bed.  He  has  planted  deep  and  multitudinous- 
ly,  and  many  things  there  are  which  have  not  yet 
come  up.  Some  things  are  just  sprouted,  and  some 
have  blossomed ;  and  yet,  because  the  sheeted  prairie 
of  life  is  not  covered  with  the  flowers  of  love,  men 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  135 

say,  "  It  will  never  come.    The  world  will  be  burned 
up  first." 

The  world  is  preparing  day  by  day  for  the  mil- 
lennium, but  you  do  not  see  it.  Every  season  forms 
itself  a  year  in  advance.  The  coining  summer  lays 
out  her  work  during  the  autumn,  and  buds  and 
roots  are  forespoken.  Ten  million  roots  are  pump- 
ing in  the  streets;  do  you  hear  them?  Ten  mil- 
lion buds  are  forming  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves ; 
do  you  hear  the  sound  of  the  saw  or  the  hammer  ? 
All  next  summer  is  at  work  in  the  world,  but 
it  is  unseen  by  us,  and  so  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
cometh  not  with  observation." 


IP  any  man  is  rich  and  powerful,  he  comes  under 
that  law  of  God  by  which  the  higher  branches  must 
take  the  burnings  of  the  sun,  and  shade  those  that 
are  lower  ;  by  which  the  tall  trees  must  protect  the 
weak  plants  beneath  them. 


PATRIOTISM,  in  our  day,  is  made  to  be  an  argu- 
ment for  all  public  wrong,  and  all  private  'mean- 
ness. For  the  sake  of  country  a  man  is  told  to  yield 
every  thing  that  makes  the  land  honorable.  For 
the  sake  of  country  a  man  must  submit  to  every 


136  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

ignominy  that  will  lead  to  the  ruin  of  the  state 
through  disgrace  of  the  citizen.  There  never  was 
a  man  so  unpatriotic  as  Christ  was.  Old  Jerusalem 
ought  to  have  been  every  thing  to  him.  The  laws 
and  institutions  of  his  country  ought  to  have  been 
more  to  him  than  all  the  men  in  his  country.  They 
were  not,  and  the  Jews  hated  him  ;  but  the  common 
people,  like  the  ocean  waters,  moved  in  tides  to- 
wards his  heavenly  attraction  wherever  he  went. 


OUR  children  that  lie  in  the  cradle  are  ours,  and 
bear  in  them  those  lines  which  shall  yet  make  them 
to  appear,  the  boy  like  the  father,  and  the  daughter 
like  the  mother ;  and  we  are  God's,  growing  up, 
we  trust,  into  the  lineaments  which  shall  make  us 
like  unto  him.  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be." 

WHENEVER  education  and  refinement  grow  away 
from  the  common  people,  they  are  growing  towards 
selfishness,  which  is  the  monster  evil  of  the  world. 

Men  who  walk  on  tiptoe  all  through  life,  holding 
up  their  skirts  for  fear  they  shall  touch  their  fel- 
lows, who  are  delicate  and  refined  in  feeling,  and 
who  ring  all  the  bells  of  taste  high  up  in  their  own 
belfry,  where  no  one  else  can  hear  them,  —  these 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  137 

dainty  fools  are  the  greatest  sinners  of  all,  for  they 
use  their  higher  faculties  to  serve  the  devil  with. 


MAN  is  God's  creation.     Every  thing  else  is  the 
nursery  and  nurse  of  man. 


I  NEVER  knew  my  mother.  She  died  when  I  was 
three  years  old  that  she  might  be  an  angel  to  me 
all  my  life.  But  one  day,  in  after  years,  turning 
over  a  pile  of  old  letters  in  my  father's  study,  I 
found  a  package  of  her  letters  to  him,  beginning 
with  her  first  acquaintance  with  him,  and  coming 
down  into  her  married  life  ;  and  as  I  read  those 
pages,  at  last  I  knew  my  mother. 

What  these  letters  were  to  her  life,  that  are  the 
four  Gospels  to  the  life  of  Christ.  But  I  remember 
that  there  was  one  letter  in  which  she  first  spoke 
freely  and  frankly  of  her  love.  That,  to  me,  is  the 
Gospel  of  John.  It  is  God's  love-letter  to  the  world. 


A  MAN'S  purpose  of  life  should  be  like  a  river, 
which  was  born  of  a  thousand  little  rills  in  the 
mountains  ;  and  when  at  last  it  has  reached  its  man- 
hood in  the  plain,  though,  if  you  watch  it,  you  shall  see 
12* 


138  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

little  eddies  that  seem  as  if  they  had  changed  their 
minds,  and  were  going  back  again  to  the  mountains, 
yet  all  its  mighty  current  flows,  changeless,  to  the 
sea.  If  you  build  a  dam  across  it,  in  a  few  hours 
it  will  go  over  it  with  a  voice  of  victory.  If  tides 
check  it  at  its  mouth,  it  is  only  that  when  they  ebb 
it  can  sweep  on  again  to  the  ocean.  So  goes  the 
Amazon  or  the  Orinoco  across  a  continent  —  never 
losing  its  way  or  changing  its  direction  for  the  thou- 
sand streams  that  fall  into  it  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  left,  but  only  using  them  to  increase  its 
force,  and  bearing  them  onward  in  its  resistless 
channel. 


A  NOBLE  man  compares  and  estimates  himself  by 
an  idea  which  is  higher  than  himself,  and  a  mean 
man  by  one  which  is  lower  than  himself.  The  one 
produces  aspiration  ;  the  other,  ambition.  Ambi- 
tion is  the  way  in  which  a  vulgar  man  aspires. 


FROM  the  beginning,  I  educated  myself  to  speak 
along  the  line,  and  in  the  current  of  my  moral  con- 
victions ;  and  though,  in  later  days,  it  has  carried 
me  through  places  where  there  were  some  batter- 
ings and  bruisings,  yet  I  have  boon  supremely  grate- 
ful that  I  was  led  to  adopt  this  course.  I  would 


LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

rather  speak  the  truth  to  ten  men  than  blandish- 
ments and  lying  to  a  million.  Try  it,  ye  who  think 
there  is  nothing  in  it ;  try  what  it  is  to  speak  with 
God  behind  you  —  to  speak  so  as  to  be  only  the 
arrow  in  the  bow  which  the  Almighty  draws. 


A  CHRISTIAN  had  better  go  to  the  theatre  than  to 
go  home  whining  because  he  can't  go.  If  it  is  worth 
while  to  do  any  thing  for  Christ,  it  is  worth  while 
to  do  it  with  your  head  up,  and  with  your  whole 
heart. 


IT  takes  only  one  good,  thorough  frost  to  cut  all 
the.  flowers  out  of  the  garden  —  no  thanks  to  the 
second ;  so  one  thoroughly-detected  dissimulation  in 
love,  and  honey  is  vinegar,  and  love" is  gall. 


0,  LET  the  soul  alone.  Let  it  go  to  God  as  best 
it  may.  It  is  entangled  enough.  It  is  hard  enough 
for  it  to  rise  above  the  distractions  which  environ  it. 
Let  a  man  teach  the  rain  how  to  fall,  the  clouds 
how  to  shape  themselves  and  move  their  airy  rounds, 
the  seasons  how  to  cherish  and  garner  the  universal 
abundance,  but  let  him  not  teach  a  soul  to  pray,  on 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  doth  brood  ! 


140  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

IN  autumnal  mornings  mists  settle  over  the  Con- 
necticut Valley,  and  lie  cold  and  damp  upon  the 
meadows  and  the  hill  sides,  and  it  is  not  till  the  sun 
rises  and  shines  down  warm  upon  them  that  they 
begin  to  move  ;  and  then  there  are  swayings,  and 
wreathings,  and  openings,  till  at  length  the  spirit 
which  has  tormented  the  valley  can  stay  no  longer, 
but  rises  and  disappears  in  the  air.  So  is  it  when 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shines  upon  the  troubles 
which  brood  over  our  souls.  Shining  but  a  little, 
they  only  fluctuate  ;  but  if  the  sun  will  shine  long, 
they  lift  themselves  and  vanish  in  the  unclouded 
heaven. 

SELFISHNESS  is  that  detestable  vice  which  no  one 
will  forgive  in  others,  and  no  one  is  without  in 
himself. 

LIKE  a  plant  in  the  tropics  which  all  the  year 
round  is  bearing  flowers,  and  ripening  seeds,  and 
letting  them  fly,  so  the  heart  is  always  shaking  off 
memories  and  dropping  associations.  And  as  the 
wind  which  serves  to  prostrate  a  plant  is  only  a 
sower  coming  forth  to  sow  its  seeds,  planting  some 
of  them  iii  rock  crevices,  some  by  river  courses, 
some  among  mossy  stones,  some  under  warm  hedges, 
and  some  in  garden  and  open  field,  —  so  it  is  with 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  141 

our  experiences  of  life,  that  sway  and  bow  us,  either 
with  joy  or  sorrow.  They  plant  every  thing  about 
us  with  heart  seeds.  Thus  a  house  becomes  sacred. 
Every  room  has  a  thousand  memories.  Every  door 
and  window  is  clustered  with  associations.  And 
when,  after  long  years,  we  go  back  to  the  house  of 
our  infancy,  faces  look  out  upon  us,  and  an  invisible 
multitude  stand  in  gate  and  portal  to  welcome  us, 
and  we  hear  airy  voices  speaking  again  the  old 
words  of  our  childhood.  Every  man  has  a  silent 
and  solitary  literature  written  by  his  heart  upon  the 
tables  of  stone  in  nature  ;  and  next  to  God's  finger, 

» 

a  man's  heart  writes  the  most  memorable  things. 


WHEN  the  people  pass  wise  and  needful  laws,  but 
leave  them  without  public  sentiment,  it  is  as  if  a 
child  were  born  into  an  exhausted  receiver  instead 
of  a  cradle. 

IF  there  is  one  word  that  is  universally  significant 
of  love,  peace,  refinement,  social  amenity,  friend- 
ship, pure  society,  joy,  it  is  the  table.  Such  power 
has  the  heart  to  clothe  the  most  unseemly  things 
with  its  own  vines  and  fragrant  flowers,  that  we 
have  not  only  forgotten  that  eating  is  an  animal 
act,  but  we  have  come  to  associate  every  thing  that 


142  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

is  sweet  and  beautiful  with  it.  We  no  longer  think 
of  appetite,  but  of  love.  It  is  not  food,  but  society 
that  we  have.  We  cover  the  merest  animal  neces- 
sities with  such  sympathies,  tastes,  conversations, 
and  gayeties,  that  the  table,  the  symbol  of  appetite, 
has  cleared  itself  from  all  grossness,  and  stands  in 
the  language  of  the  world  as  the  centre  of  social 
joy.  A  feast  becomes  sacred  to  hospitality.  A  fes- 
tival is  a  religious  observance. 


A  MAN  living  at  a  hotel  is  like  a  grape  vine  in  a 
flower  pot  —  movable,  carried  around  from  place  to 
place,  docked  at  the  root  and  short  at  the  top.  No- 
where can  a  man  get  real  root-room,  and  spread  out 
his  branches  till  they  touch  the  morning  and  the 
evening,  but  in  his  own  house. 


As  flowers  never  put  on  their  best  clothes  for 
Sunday,  but  wear  their  spotless  raiment  and  ex- 
hale their  odor  every  day,  so  let  your  Christian  life, 
free  from  stain,  ever  give  forth  the  fragrance  of  the 
love  of  God. 

WHEN  the  absent  are  spoken  of,  some  will  speak 
gold  of  them,  some  silver,  some  iron,  some  lead,  and 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  143 

some  always  speak  dirt,  for  they  have  a  natural  at- 
traction towards  what  is  evil,  and  think  it  shows 
penetration  in  them.  As  a  cat  watching  for  mice 
does  not  look  up  though  an  elephant  goes  by,  so 
they  are  so  busy  mousing  for  defects,  that  they  let 
great  excellences  pass  them  unnoticed.  I  will  not 
say  it  is  not  Christian  to  make  beads  of  others' 
faults,  and  tell  them  over  every  day  ;  I  say  it  is 
infernal.  If  you  want  to  know  how  the  devil  feels, 
you  do  know  if  you  are  such  an  one. 


THE  more  important  an  animal  is  to  be,  the  lower 
is  its  start.  Man,  the  noblest  of  all,  is  born  lowest. 
The  next  thing  below  a  babe  is  nothing,  and  the 
next  thing  above  a  man  is  an  angel. 


LOOKED  at  without  educated  associations,  there  is 
no  difference  between  a  man  in  bed  and  a  man  in 
a  coffin.  And  yet,  such  is  the  power  of  the  heart 
to  redeem  the  animal  life,  that  there  is  nothing 
more  exquisitely  refined,  and  pure,  and  beautiful, 
than  the  chamber  of  the  house.  The  couch  !  From 
the  day  that  the  bride  sanctifies  it  to  the  day  when 
the  aged  mother  is  borne  from  it,  it  stands  clothed 
with  loveliness  and  dignity.  Cursed  be  the  tongue 


144  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

that  dares  speak  evil  of  the  household  bed !  By  its 
side  oscillates  the  cradle.  Not  far  from  it  is  the  crib. 
In  this  sacred  precinct,  the  mother's  chamber,  lies 
the  heart  of  the  family.  Here  the  child  learns  its 
prayer.  Hither,  night  by  night,  angels  troop.  It  is  the 
Holy  of  Holies. 

WHEREVER  I  find  truth,  I  will  appropriate  it,  for  it 
is  an  estray  from  God's  word,  and  belongs  to  me  and 
to  all.  Eminent  masters,  parties,  and  sects  claim 
truths  as  theirs,  because  they  have  most  fully  ex- 
pounded them  ;  but  men  never  make  truths ;  they 
only  recognize  the  value  of  this  currency  of  God. 
They  find  truths  as  men  sometimes  find  bills,  in  the 
street,  and  only  recognize  the  value  of  that  which 
other  parties  have  drawn. 


YERY  few  men  acquire  wealth  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  receive  pleasure  from  it.  Just  as  long  as  there 
is  the  enthusiasm  of  the  chase  they  enjoy  it ;  but 
when  they  begin  to  look  around,  and  think  of  set- 
tling down,  they  find  that  that  part  by  which  joy 
enters  is  dead  in  them.  They  have  spent  their  lives 
in  heaping  up  colossal  piles  of  treasure,  which  stand, 
at  the  end,  like  the  pyramids  in  the  desert  sands, 
holding  only  the  dust  of  kings. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  145 

GOD  has  put  the  veil  of  secrecy  before  the  soul 
for  its  preservation ;  and  to  thrust  it  rudely  aside, 
without  reason,  would  be  suicidal.  Neither  here, 
nor,  as  I  think,  hereafter,  will  all  our  thoughts  and 
feelings  lie  open  to  the  world. 


THE  common  school  stands  on  the  threshold  of 
society,  and  throws  each  generation  back  to  the  one 
starting-point,  and  says  to^it, "  Now  come  up  because 
of  what  is  in  you."  Who  can  estimate  the  power 
of  an  institution  that  is  continually  evening  one  end 
of  life,  but  leaving  the  other  to  shoot  up  as  plants 
do  from  the  common  soil  ? 


WHAT  would  the  nightingale  care  if  the  toad  de- 
spised his  singing  ?  He  would  sing  on,  and  leave 
the  cold  toad  to  his  dank  shadows.  And  what  care 
I  for  the  sneers  of  men  who  grovel  upon  earth  ?  I 
will  still  sing  on  into  the  ear  and  bosom  of  God. 


MEN  do  not  avail  themselves  of  the  riches  of 

God's  grace.     They  love  to  nurse  their  cares,  ancl 

seem  as  uneasy  without  some  fret,  as  an  old  friap 

would  be  without  his  hair  girdle.     They  are  com, 

13 


146  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

manded  to  cast  their  cares  upon  the  Lord ;  but, 
even  when  they  attempt  it,  they  do  not  fail  to  catch 
them  up  again,  and  think  it  meritorious  to  walk 
burdened.  They  take  God's  ticket  to  heaven,  and 
then  put  their  baggage  on  their  shoulders,  and 
tramp,  tramp,  the  whole  way  there  afoot. 


THE  stream  of  life  forks ;  and  religion  is  apt  to 
run  in  one  channel,  and  business  in  another. 


IT  is  one  of  the  severest  tests  of  friendship  to  tell 
your  friend  of  his  faults.  If  you  are  angry  with  a 
man,  or  hate  him,  it  is  not  hard  to  go  to  him  and 
stab  him  with  words  ;  but  so  to  love  a  man  that  you 
cannot  bear  to  see  the  stain  of  sin  upon  him,  and  to 
speak  painful  truth  through  loving  words,  —  that  is 
friendship.  But  few  have  such  friends.  Our  ene- 
mies usually  teach  us  what  we  are,  at  the  point  of 
the  sword. 

I  THINK  I  heard  a  conversation  in  the  leaves  this 
tfiorning,  as  I  came  to  church.  The  buds  that  had 
lain  all  winter  in  their  wrappings,  as  under  roofs 
and  blankets,  were  beginning  to  say  to  each  other, 
"  Is  it  not  March  ?  Is  it  not  time  for  us  to  unfold 


LIFE    THOUGHTS'  147 

ourselves,  and  expand  our  leaves  in  fragrance  to 
the  air  ?  " 

But  one  tiny  bud  answered,  "  I  can  never  unfold 
to  the  sun  and  the  air  these  dear  little  leaves,  that 
have  lain  so  long  in  my  bosom.  I  could  not  bear 
such  publicity.  I  must  keep  their  fragrance  still." 
And  the  sun  and  the  wind  laughed ;  for  they  knew 
that  when  they  should  shine  and  blow  upon  the 
bud,  and  fill  up  and  swell  those  tiny  leaves,  it  would 
open  from  the  necessity  of  its  nature,  and  that  when 
they  were  swimming  in  a  bath  of  solar  light,  they 
would  give  out  their  odor  unconsciously  to  every 
breeze. 

So  many  a  heart  says,  "  I  could  not  bear  to  have 
my  sweet  buds  of  feeling  exposed,  through  profes- 
sion of  Christianity,  to  the  gaze  of  the  world.  I 
will  keep  them  safely  hid  in  my  bosom,  and  be  a 
Christian  in  secret.''  But  when  the  winds  of  heaven 
blow  upon  them,  and  the  sun  of  God's  love  shines, 
they  will  become  vocal,  and  must  needs  give  them- 
selves expression. 

THERE  are  many  here  to-day  who  know  not  yet 
what  fruit  they  shall  bear ;  may  the  gracious  Hus- 
bandman take  care  of  all  these  tender  shoots  and 
buds  of  spring.  And  there  are  those  who  are  in 
the  summer  of  their  growth,  and  who  spread  abroad 


148  llFE     THOUGHTS. 

their  leaves  and  expand  their  blossoms  ;  may  God 
grant  them  the  gracious  rains  of  heaven,  that  they 
may  be  nourished,  and  sustained,  and  brought  to 
all  perfection.  And  there  are  those  who  stand  in 
autumn,  with  clustering  fruits  and  glowing  colors  ; 
may  He  minister  to  them  all  those  influences  which 
are  needful  for  the  autumn  of  their  experience,  and 
bring  them  gloriously  to  the  end  of  the  harvest. 
And  there  are  those  who  are  in  life's  winter,  and 
whose  leaves  have  fallen,  and  through  whose  un- 
clothed boughs  the  sunlight  shines;  0  thou  who 
art  the  God  of  winter  as  well  as  of  summer,  be  very 
near  to  them  till  thou  dost  take  them  to  the  land 
where  no  winter  comes ! 


AMID  our  imperfect  utterances,  let  us  comfort 
ourselves  with  the  thought  of  that  realm  where 
thought  shall  speak  without  the  need  of  a  tongue, 
and  feeling  shall  speak,  and  the  whole  life  shall 
be  an  anthem  of  praise. 


•OuB  most  exalted  feelings  are  not  meant  to  be 
the  common  food  of  daily  life.  Contentment  is 
more  satisfying  than  exhilaration  ;  and  contentment 
means  simply  the  sum  of  small  and  quiet  pleasures. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  149 

We  ought  not  to  seek  too  high  joys.  We  may  be 
bright  without  transfiguration.  The  even  flow  of 
constant  cheerfulness  strengthens ;  while  great  ex- 
citements, driving  us  with  fierce  speed,  both  rack 
the  ship  and  end  often  in  explosions.  If  we  were 
just  ready  to  break  out  of  the  body  with  delight,  I 
know  not  but  we  should  disdain  many  things  impor- 
tant to  be  done.  Low  measures  of  feeling  are  better 
than  ecstasies,  for  ordinary  life.  God  sends  his  rains 
in  gentle  drops,  else  flowers  would  be  beaten  to 
pieces. 

SINK  the  Bible  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and 
man's  obligations  to  God  would  be  unchanged.  He 
would  have  the  same  path  to  tread,  only  his  lamp 
and  his  guide  would  be  gone ;  he  would  have  the 
same  voyage  to  make,  only  his  compass  and  chart 
would  be  overboard. 


LOVE  is  ownership.     We   own  whom  we  love. 
The  universe  is  God's  because  he  loves. 


*  CHRISTIAN  brethren,  in  heaven  you  are  lyiown 
by  the  name  of  Christ.     On  earth,  for  convenience' 

*  Invitation  to  the  communion  service. 

13* 


150  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

sake,  you  are  known  by  the  name  of  Presbyterians, 
Episcopalians,  Methodists,  Congregationalists,  and 
the  like.  Let  me  speak  the  language  of  heaven, 
and  caU  you,  simply,  Christians.  Whoever  of  you 
has  known  the  name  of  Christ,  and  feels  Christ's 
life  beating  within  him,  is  invited  to  remain,  and  sit 
with  us  at  the  table  of  the  Lord. 


*MY  friends,  my  heart  is  large  to-day.  I  am 
like  a  .tree  upon  which  rains  have  fallen  till  every 
leaf  is  covered  with  drops  of  dew ;  and  no  wind 
goes  through  the  boughs  but  I  hear  the  pattering  of 
some  thought  of  joy  and  gratitude.  I  love  you  all 
more  than  ever  before.  You  are  crystalline  to  me. 
Your  faces  are  radiant ;  and  I  look  through  your 
eyes  as  through  windows  into  heaven.  I  behold  in 
'each  of  you  an  imprisoned  angel,  that  is  yet  to 
burst  forth,  and  to  love  and  shine  in  the  better 
sphere. 

THE  whole  earth  is  like  a  caldron,  boiling  and 
seething  with  human  passions.  Man  is  at  war  with 
man,  and  every  where  are  rage  and  animosity. 

When,  from  God's  fatherhood,  shall  come  the  truth 

« 

*  At  communion,  when  one  hundred  were  add»d  to  the  church. 


LIFE'  THOUGHTS.  151 

of  our  brotherhood  ?  Lord  Jesus,  what  hast  thou 
done  since  thou  wentest  away  ?  Hast  thou  forgotten 
thine  errand  hither  ?  Art  thou  not  weary  of  this 
globe,  which  swings  about  thy  throne  on  its  bitter 
path  with  anthems  of  pain  and  woe  ?  Hasten  the 
time  when  the  whole  world,  en-choired  by  love,  shall 
go  its  golden  way,  singing  thy  praise  and  its  joy ! 


THE  real  man  is  one  who  always  finds  excuses  for 
others,  but  never  excuses  himself. 


MEN'S  convictions  of  sin  differ  with  their  char- 
acters. One  man  says,  "  In  such  a  sermon,  a  lion- 
like  conviction  sprang  out  itpon  me,  and  seized  my 
soul  in  its  grasp,  and  had  nearly  torn  it  asunder." 
And  another  says,  "  The  twilight  of  God's  love  fell 
upon  me  ;  but  when  the  eclipse  was  over,  the  sun 
shone  out  again,  and  I  was  happy."  Terror,  or 
only  sadness,  anguish,  grief,  and  love,  are  all  alike 
really  conviction. 

WE  have  known  men,  upon  whose  grounds  were 
old,  magnificent  trees  of  centuries'  growth,  lifted 
up  into  the  air  with  vast  breadth,  and  full  of  twi- 
ligh-t  at  midday,  who  cut  down  all  these  mighty 


152  ,LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

monarchs,  and  cleared  the  ground  bare ;  and  then, 
when  the  desolation  was  completed,  and  the  fierce 
summer  gazed  full  into  their  faces  with  its  fire, 
they  bethought  themselves  of  shade,  and  forthwith 
set  out  a  generation  of  thin,  shadowless  sticks,  and 
pined  and  waited  till  they  should  stretch  out  their 
boughs  with  protection,  and  darken  the  ground 
with  grateful  shadow.  Such  folly  is  theirs  who 
refuse  the  tree  of  life,  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty, 
and  sit,  instead,  under  feeble  trees  of  their  own 
planting,  whose  tops  will  never  be  broad  enough  to 
shield  them,  and  whose  boughs  will  never  discourse 
to  them  the  music  of  the  air. 

The  mountains  lift  their  crests  so  high,  that  weary 
clouds,  which  have  no  rest  in  the  sky,  love  to  come 
to  them,  and,  wrapping  about  their  tops,  distil  their 
moisture  upon  them.  Thus  mountains  hold  com- 
merce with  God's  invisible  ocean,  and,  like  good 
men,  draw  supplies  from  the  unseen.  So,  in  times 
of  drought  below,  the  rocks  are  always  wet,  the 
mountain  moss  is  always  green,  the  seams  and  crev- 
ices are  always  dripping,  and  veins  are  throbbing  a 
full  pulse,  while  all  the  summer  down  in  the  plains 
faints  for  want  of  moisture.  In  some  virgin  gorge, 
unwedded  by  the  sun,  cold  rills  bubble  up  and  issue 
forth  upon  their  errand.  Could  *one  who  would 
build  his  house  below  but  meet  these  springs  in  the 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  153 

mountains,  and  lay  his  artificial  channels  to  their 
very  sources,  he  would  not  know  when  drought 
came,  for  they  never  grow  dry  so  long  as  clouds 
brood  the  mountain  tops.  Day  and  night  .they 
gush  and  fall  with  liquid  plash,  an  unheard  music, 
except  when  thirsty  birds,  to  whose  song  the  rivu- 
let has  been  a  bass,  stoop  to  drink  at  their  crystal 
edges. 

Artificial  cisterns  dry  up  and  crack  for  dryness ; 
but  this  mountain  fountain  comes,  night  and  day, 
with  cool  abundance.  While  others  with  weary 
strokes  force  up  from  deep  wells  a  penurious  supply 
of  turbid  water,  he  that  has  joined  himself  -to  the 
mountain  spring  has  its  voice  continually  in  his 
dwelling,  night  and  day,  summer  and  winter,  with- 
out work  or  stroke  of  laboring  pump,  clear,  sweet, 
and  cheerful,  running  of  its  own  accord,  and  sing- 
ing at  its  work,  more  musical  than  any  lute,  and 
bringing  in  its  song  suggestions  of  its  home  —  the 
dark  recess,  the  rock  which  was  its  father,  the  cloud 
which  was  its  mother,  and  the  teeming  heaven  bright 
and  broad  above  both  rock  and  cloud. 

With  such  a  spring,  —  near,  accessible,  urging 
itself  upon  eye  and  ear,  —  how  great  would  be  his 
folly  who  should  abandon  it,  and  fill  his  attic  with 
a  leaden  cistern,  which  forever  leaked  when  full, 
and  was  dry  when  it  did  not  leak!  Yet  this  is 


154  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

what  we  have  done.  We  have  forsaken  God,  "  the 
fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed  us  out  cis- 
terns, broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water." 


HAPPINESS  is  not  the  end  of  life ;  character  is. 
This  world  is  not  a  platform  where  you  will  hear 
Thalberg-piano-playing.  It  is  a  piano  manufactory, 
where  are  dust,  and  shavings,  and  boards,  and  saws, 
and  files,  and  rasps,  and  sand-papers.  The  perfect 
instrument  and  the  music  will  be  hereafter. 


GOD  asks  no  man  whether  he  will  accept  life. 
That  is  not  the  choice.  You  must  take  it.  The  only 
choice  is  how. 


THE  other  day,  in  walking  down  the  street,  a 
little  beggar  boy,  —  or  one  who  might  have  begged, 
so  ragged  was  he,  —  having  discovered  that  I  loved 
flowers,  came  and  put  into  my  hand  a  faded  little 
sprig  which  be  had  somewhere  found.  I  did  not 
look  directly  at  the  scrawny,  withered  branch,  but 
beheld  it  through  the  medium  of  the  boy's  heart, 
seeing  what  he  would  have  given,  not  what  he  gave ; 
and  so  looking,  the  shrivelled  stem  was  laden  with 
blossoms  of  beauty  and  odor.  And  if  I,  who  am 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  155 

cold,  and  selfish,  and  ignorant,  receive  so  graciously; 
the  offering  of  a  poor  child,  with  what  tender  joy 
must  our  heavenly  Father  receive  the  sincere  trib- 
utes of  his  creatures  when  he  looks  through  the 
medium  of  his  infinite  love  and  compassion ! 

Christ  does  not  say,  "  Take  the  noblest  things  of 
life,  and  bring  them  perfect  to  me,  and  I  will  re- 
ceive them."  He  says,  "  Take  tire  lowest  and  most 
disagreeable  thing ;  and  if  you  bring  it  cheerfully, 
for  my  sake,  it  shall  be  to  me  a  flower  of  remem- 
brance, and  I  will  press  it  in  the  book  of  life,  and 
keep  it  forever." 

Go,  then,  search  for  flowers  to  bring  to  Christ ; 
and  if  you  cannot  find  even  road-side  or  pasture 
weeds,  —  if  there  are  but  nettles  and  briers,  and 
you  are  willing  for  his  sake  to  thrust  your  hand 
into  the  thorn  bush,  and  bring  a  branch  from  thence, 
he  will  take  it  lovingly,  and  cherish  it  evermore. 


LET  me  fall  into  the  hands  of  God,  and  not  of 
man ;  yet  even  there,  such  is  the  heart's  weakness 
that  we  must  often  cry  out,  "  0,  remeniber  that  we 
are  but  dust."  Let  God  deal  with  me  in  the  street, 
in  the  door-yard,  —  yea,  let  him  come  into  the 
house,  and  deal  with  me  in  the  parlor,  —  but  let 
him  not  come  into-  my  chamber,  and  deal  with  me 


156  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

in  the  cradle.     Then  he  is  a  terrible  God ;  and  I 
tremble,  and  shrink  away  from  his  presence. 


THERE  is  an  anger  that  is  damnable ;  it  is  the 
anger  of  selfishness.  There  is  an  anger  that  is 
majestic  as  the  frown  of  Jehovah's  brow ;  it  is  the 
anger  of  truth  and  love. 

If  a  man  meets  with  injustice,  it  is  not  required 
that  he  shall  not  be  roused  to  meet  it ;  but  if  he  is 
angry  after  he  has  had  time  to  think  upon  it,  that 
is  sinful.  The  flame  is  not  wrong,  but  the  coals  are. 


THERE  are  men  who  imagine  they  should  do  well 
enough  if  they  could  throw  the  Bible  overboard, 
and  the  ministers  after  it,  and  sink  the  whole  church 
in  the  sea.  It  is  as  if  a  man  with  a  shattered  limb 
should  think  to  better  himself  by  thrusting  the  doc- 
tors and  their  instruments  out  of  doors.  They  did 
not  break  his  leg,  but  only  propose  to  set  it.  Under 
the  hand  of  the  poorest  of  them,  the  limb  will  be 
better  than  if  the  shattered  bone  were  left  to  heal 
unsplintered. 

IT  is  supposed  that  if  a  man  is  a  Christian,  he 
must  perform  certain  professional  duties  which  are 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  157 

no  more  to  be  expected  of  a  man  who  is  not  a  Chris- 
tian than  a  lawyer's  duties  are  expected  of  a  me- 
chanic. Now,  all  the  great  duties  of  a  Christian  life 
are  no  more  incumbent  upon  Christians  than  upon 
other  men ;  for  men  are  bound  to  be  and  do  right 
on  the  religious  scale  of  rectitude,  not  because  they 
are  Christians,  but  because  they  are  men.  Religious 
obligations  took  hold  of  us  when  we  were  born. 
They  waited  for  us  as  the  air  did.  They  have  their 
sources  back  of  volition,  back  of  consciousness,  just 
as  attraction  has.  Though  a  man  declares  himself 
an  atheist,  it  in  no  way  alters  his  obligations.  Right 
and  wrong  do  not  spring  from  the  nature  of  the 
church.  Obligation  lies  deeper  than  that.  The 
church  is  a  mere  organization  to  help  a  man  fulfil 
his  duties  ;  it  is  not  the  source  from  whence  those 
duties  sprang.  If  there  is  any  thing  in  your  busi- 
ness, or  your  character,  which  you  would  feel  that 
you  ought  to  change  if  you  were  a  Christian,  you 
ought  to  change  it  now.  It  is  as  much  the  world- 
ling's duty  to  love  God  and  to  obey  his  laws,  as  it 
is  the  Christian's.  An  unpraising  heart !  You 
do  not  need  to  have  been  baptized,  to  be  damned, 
if  you  have  that. 

As  we  do  not  keep  tinder  in  every  box  in  the 
house,  so  we  do  not  keep  the  sense  of  anger  in 
14 


158  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

every  faculty.  When  one  comes  against  the  door 
of  some  faculties  with  an  injury,  we  look  over  the 
railing  and  say, — 

"I'll  forgive  you  for  that,  for  you  did  not  get 
in." 

But  by  and  by,  when  the  faculty  where  we  are 
sensitive  is  entered,  then  we  grind  our  teeth  and 
say,  — 

"I  could  have  forgiven  him  for  any  thing  but 
that !  " 

We  must  not  arrogate  to  ourselves  a  spirit  of  for- 
giveness, until  we  have  been  touched  to  the  quick 
where  we  are  sensitive,  and  borne  it  meekly ;  and 
meekness  is  not  mere  white-facedness,  a  mere  con- 
templative virtue ;  it  is  maintaining  peace  and  pa- 
tience in  the  midst  of  pelting  provocations. 


MOZART  and  Raphael !  As  long  as  the  winds 
make  the  air  give  forth  sounds,  and  the  sun  paints 
the  earth  with  colors,  so  long  shall  the  world  not 
let  these  names  die. 


SEE  to  it  that  each  hour's  feelings,  and  thoughts, 
and  actions  are  pure  and  true  ;  then  will  your  life 
be  such.  The  mightiest  maze  of  magnificent  har- 


I 

LIFE    THOUGHTS.  159 

monies  that  ever  a  Beethoven  gave  to  the  world,  is 
but  single  notes,  and  all  its  complicated  and  inter* 
lacing  strains  are  resolvable  into  individualities. 
The'  wide  pasture  is  but  separate  spears  of  grass  ; 
the  sheeted  bloom  of  the  prairies  but  isolated  flowers. 


THE  vertical  power  of  Christianity  with  Christians, 
will  measure  its  horizontal  power  in  the  world. 


WE  rejoice  in  God  since  he  has  taught  iis  that 
every  thing  which  is  true  in  us,  is  but  a  faint  ex- 
pression of  what  is  in  him.  And  thus  all  our  joys 
become  to  us  the  echo  of  higher  joys,  and  our  very 
life  is  as  a  dream  of  that  nobler  life,  to  which  we 
shall  awaken  when  we  die. 


WE  are  apt  to  believe  in  Providence  so  long  as 
we  have  our  own  way  ;  but  if  things  go  awry,  then 
we  think,  if  there  is  a  God,  he  is  in  heaven,  and  not 
on  earth. 

The  cricket  in  the  spring  builds  his  little  house 
in  the  meadow,  and  chirps  for  joy,  because  all  is 
going  so  well  with  him.  But  when  he  hears  the 
sound  of  the  plough  a  few  furrows  off,  and  the 


160  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

thunder  of  the  oxen's  tread,  then  the  skies  begin 
to  look  dark,  and  his  heart  fails  him.  The  plough 
comes  craunching  along,  and  turns  his  dwelling 
bottom  side  up,  and  as  he  goes  rolling  over  and 
over  without  a  home,  he  says, — 

"  0,  the  foundations  of  the  world  are  destroyed, 
and  every  thing  is  going  to  ruin !  " 

But  the  husbandman  who  walks  behind  the 
plough,  singing  and  whistling  as  he  goes,  does  he 
think  the  foundations  of  the  world  are  breaking  up  ? 
Why,  he  does  not  so  much  as  know  there  was  any 
house  or  cricket  there.  He  thinks  of  the  harvest 
which  is  to  follow  the  track  of  the  plough  ;  and  the 
cricket,  too,  if  he  will  but  wait,  will  find  a  thousand 
blades  of  grass  where  there  was  but  one  before. 

We  are  like  the  crickets.  If  any  thing  happens 
to  overthrow  our  plans,  we  think  all  is  going  to  ruin. 


THERE  is  always  somebody  to  believe  in  any  one 
who  is  uppermost. 

THERE  is  no  greater  crime  than  to  stand  between 
a  man  and  his  development ;  to  take  any  law  or  in- 
stitution and  put  it  around  him  like  a  collar,  and 
fasten  it  there,  so  that  as  he  grows  and  enlarges,  he 
presses  against  it  till  he  suffocates  and  dies. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  161 

WE  ought  not  to  judge  men  by  their  absolute  ex- 
cellence, but  by  the  distance  which  they  have  trav- 
elled from  the  point  at  which  they  started.  There  are 
some  men  whom  God  has  so  royally  endowed  that 
they  are  like  a  bird  sitting  on  the  topmost  branch 
of  the  forest,  and  if  God  says  to  it,  "  Mount  up,"  it 
has  nothing  to  do  but  to  spring  into  the  air,  singing 
as  it  goes  towards  heaven.  But  others  are  like  a 
bird  upon  the  ground,  that  has  to  disentangle  itself 
from  the  bushes,  and  then  to  work  its  way  among 
the  darkling  boughs,  before  it  can  soar.  The  one 
may  have  done  better  by  his  outward  wings,  but  the 
better  inward  wings  of  purpose  and  endeavor  beat 
far  stronger  in  the  other,  and  bring  him  quite  as 
near  to  God ;  for  God  dwells  beneath  the  shade,  as 
much  as  above  the  forest. 


WE  are  all  building  a  soul-house  for  eternity ; 
yet  with  what  different  architecture  and  what  va- 
rious care ! 

What  if  a  man  should  see  his  neighbor  getting 
workmen  and  building  materials  together,  and 
should  say  to  him,  "  What  are  you  building  ?  "  and 
he  should  answer,  "  I  don't  exactly  know.  I  am 
waiting  to  see  what  will  come  of  it."  And" so  walls 
rush  up,  and  room  is  added  to  room,  while  the  man 
14* 


162  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

looks  idly  on,  and  all  the  bystanders  exclaim, 
"  What  a  fool  he  is  !  "  Yet  this  is  the  way  many 
men  are  building  their  characters  for  eternity,  add- 
ing room  to  room,  without  plan  or  aim,  and  thought- 
lessly waiting  to  see  what  the  effect  will  be.  Such 
builders  will  never  dwell  in  "  the  house  of  God, 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 

Many  men  build  as  cathedrals  were  built,  the 
part  nearest  the  ground  finished  ;  but  that  part 
which  soars  towards  heaven,  the  turrets  and  the 
spires,  forever  incomplete. 

A  kitchen,  a  cellar,  a  bar,  and  a  bedroom  ;  these 
are  the  whole  of  some  men,  the  only  apartments  in 
their  soul-house. 

Many  men  are  mere  warehouses  full  of  merchan- 
dise —  the  head,  the  heart,  are  stuffed  with  goods. 
Like  those  houses  in  the  lower  streets  of  the  city 
which  were  once  family  dwellings,  but  are  now  used 
for  commercial  purposes,  there  are  apartments  in 
their  souls  which  were  once  tenanted  by  taste,  and 
love,  and  joy,  and  worship,  but  they  are  all  deserted 
now,  and  the  rooms  are  filled  with  earthy  and  ma- 
terial things. 

HE  who  selfishly  hoards  his  joys,  thinking  thus  to 
increase  them,  is  like  a  man  who  looks  at  his  gran- 
ary, and  says,  "  Not  only  will  I  protect  my  grain 


LIFE    THOUGHTS. 


from  mice  and  birds,  but  neither  the  ground  nor 
the  mill  shall  have  it."  And  so,  in  the  spring,  he 
walks  around  his  little  pit  of  corn,  and  exclaims, 
"  How  wasteful  are  my  neighbors,  throwing  away 
whole  handfuls  of  grain  !  "  But  autumn  comes  ; 
and,  while  he  has  only  his  few  poor  bushels,  their 
fields  are  yellow  with  an  abundant  harvest.  "  There 
is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth." 


CHRISTIANS  !  it  is  your  duty  not  only  to  be  good, 
but  to  shine ;  and,  of  all  the  lights  which  you  kin- 
dle on  the  face,  Joy  will  reach  farthest  out  to  sea, 
where  troubled  mariners  are  seeking  the  shore. 
Even  in  your  deepest  griefs,  rejoice  in  God.  As 
waves  phosphoresce,  let  joys  flash  from  the  swing 
of  the  sorrows  of  your  souls. 


IN  human  governments,  justice  is  central,  and 
love  incidental.  In  the  divine  government,  love  is 
the  central  element,  and  justice  only  incidental. 
God  wishes  to  exhaust  all  means  of  kindness  before 
his  hand  takes  hold  on  justice.  When  the  waves 
of  penalty  begin  to  come  in  in  fearful  tides,  then  he 
banks  up  against  them.  His  goodness  is  the  levee 
between  justice  and  the  sinful  soul. 


164  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

DOES  love  implead  with  God  for  us,  as  it  does  in 
us  for  those  we  hold  dear  ?  Does  he  look  wistfully 
forth  to  see  when  such  and  such  an  one  shall  leave 
earth  and  come  to  him  —  as  parents,  waiting  for 
vacation,  look  every  hour  along  the  road  to  watch 
for  their  children  ? 

If  we  are  Christ's,  every  passing  day  brings  us 
nearer  to  him,  and  he  is  gathering  up  our  treasures 
in  heaven.  When  any  thing  falls  overboard  from  a 
ship  upon  the  sea,  it  goes  astern ;  but  when  any 
thing  drops  into  the  ocean  of  life,  it  is  taken  up, 
and  carried  forward  to  wait  for  us.  And  when  that 
which  we  call  death,  comes,  it  is  Christ's  summons. 
He  wants  us  to  come  to  him.  To  some  of  us  it  has 
been  a  long  voyage.  A  few  more  watches,  and  it 
will  be  ended,  and  there  will  rise  the  cry  of  "  Land, 
lio !  "  more  rapturous  than  ever  greeted  an  earthly 
shore.  And  then  may  we  hear,  sweeter  than  the 
songs  of  myriad  angels,  the  voice  of  One  who  has 
longed  for  us,  and  for  whom  we  have  been  home- 
sick,—  the  voice  of  our  Saviour,  —  saying  to  us, 
"  Welcome,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father.  Enter  ye  into 
the  joy  of  your  Lord." 

GOD  sends  Experience  to  paint  men's  portraits. 
Does  some  longing  youth  look  at  the  settled  face 
of  a  Washington,  whose  lineaments  have  been  trans- 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  165 

rnitted  to  us  by  the  artist's  skill,  and  strive  to  wear 
as  noble  a  mien  ?  That  look,  —  the  winds  of  the 
Alleghanies,  the  trials  of  the  Jersey  winter,  the 
sufferings  at  Cambridge,  the  conflicts  with  Con- 
gress, wrought  it  out ;  and  he  who  would  gain  it 
must  pass  through  as  stern  a  school. 


I  SOMETIMES  go  musing  along  the  street  to  see 
how  few  people  there  are  whose  faces  look  as  though 
any  joy  had  come  down  and  sung  in  their  souls,  I 
can  see  lines  of  thought,  and  of  care,  and  of  fear,  — 
money  lines,  shrewd,  grasping  lines,  —  but  how  few 
happy  lines  !  The  rarest  feeling  that  ever  lights 
the  human  face  is  the  contentment  of  a  loving  soul. 
Sit  for  an  hour  on  the  steps  of  the  Exchange  in 
Wall  Street,  and  you  will  behold  a  drama  which  is 
better  than  a  thousand  theatres,  for  all  the  actors 
are  real. 

THE  light  falls  on  the  skin  of  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
and  the  rays  are  reflected,  and  he  is  white.  The 
same  light  falls  on  the  skin  of  the  negro,  and  the 
rays  are  absorbed,  and  he  is  black ;  and  morals  and 
religion,  on  a  national  scale,  are  modified  by  a  re- 
flecting or  non-reflecting  cuticle.  If  the  African 
race  had  been  as  handsome  as  the  Circassian,  there 


166  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

Would  not  to-day  be  a  single  slave  among  them. 
Beauty  is  omnipotent.  Parcls  and  tigers  are  fabled 
to  have  drawn  the  cars  of  the  wreathed  and  grace- 
ful Bacchanals,  in  ancient  song  ;  and  to-day;  among 
imsanctified  men,  truth  and  justice  love  beauty 
better  than  they  love  themselves. 

Whether  the  Africans  are  an  inferior  race  or  not, 
it  is  evident  that  our  destiny  in  some  respects  is 
bound  up  with  them,  and  the  study  of  their  inter- 
ests is  the,  study  of  our  salvation.  When  a  ship 
casts  its  passengers  overboard  in  a  storm,  there  may 
be  sick  and  helpless  ones  among  them  who  could 
not  for  a  moment  compete  with  the  robust  swim- 
mers ;  but  the  feeblest  of  them,  by  attaching  them- 
selves to  the  swimmers,  may  embarrass  them,  and 
make  them  go  down.  So  this  African  race,  in  the 
Omnipotent  hand,  may  be  the  instrument  for  our 
destruction,  if  we  are  to  be  destroyed.  They  may 
cling  to  our  feet,  and  entangle  us  in  their  final 
miseries. 

TRUTHS  are  first  clouds,  then  rain,  then  harvests 
and  food.  The  philosophy  of  one  century  is  the 
common  sense  of  the  next.  Men  are  called  fools, 
in  one  age,  for  not  knowing  what  they  were  called 
fools  for  averring  in  the  age  before.  We  should  so 
live  and  labor  in  our  time  that  what  came  to  us  as 


LIFE    THOUGH  VS.  167 

seed  may  go  to  the  next  generation  as  blossom,  and 
that  what  came  to  us  as  blossom  may  go  to  them  as 
fruit.  This  is  what  we  mean  by  progress. 


DEATH  is  the  dropping  of  the  flower  that  the  fruit 
may  swell. 

IF  men  whose  sympathy  is  strong  for  their  fellows 
have  been  to  churches  where  they  have  heard  the 
preaching  of  dry  doctrines,  —  if  the  tree  of  life  has 
been  to  them  a  girdled  tree,  leafless,  and  without 
birds  in  its  boughs,  —  they  are  very  apt  to  ignore 
doctrine,  and  to  go  to  the  opposite  extreme,  and 
say,  "  It's  well  enough  to  sing  hymns,  and  there's 
no  harm  in  prayers,  perhaps;  but  the  best  hymns 
and  prayers  are  to  do  good."  It  is  very  true  that 
to  love  justice  and  to  show  mercy  is  more  than  all 
sacrifice  of  hymns  and  prayers ;  yet,  as  the  world 
goes,  I  have  noticed  that  most  men  decry  the  one, 
only  for  the  sake  of  covering  their  neglect  of  the 
other. 

I  AM  suspicious  of  that  church  whose  members 
are  one  in  their  beliefs  and  opinions.  When  a  tree 
is  dead,  it  will  lie  any  way ;  alive,  it  will  have  its 
own  growth.  When  men's  deadness  is  in  the 


168  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

church,  and  their  life  elsewhere,  all  will  be  alike. 
They  can  be  cut  and  polished  any  way.  When 
they  are  alive,  they  are  like  a  tropical  forest  —  some 
shooting  up,  like  the  mahogany  tree  ;  some  spread- 
ing, like  the  vine ;  some  darkling,  like  the  shrub  ; 
some  lying,  herb-like,  on  the  ground ;  but  all  obey- 
ing their  own  laws  of  growth,  —  a  common  law  of 
growth  variously  expressed  in  each,  —  and  so  con- 
tributing to  the  richness  and  beauty  of  the  wood. 


IT  makes  no  difference  what  you  call  men  — 
prince,  peer,  or  slave.  Man  is  that  name  of  power 
which  rises  above  them  all,  and  gives  to  every  one 
the  right  to  be  that  which  God  meant  he  should  be. 
No  law,  nor  custom,  nor  opinion,  nor  prejudice  has 
the  right  to  say  to  one  man,  "  You  may  grow,"  and 
to  another,  "  You  may  not  grow,"  or,  "  You  may 
grow  in  ten  directions,  and  not  in  twenty ; "  or  to 
the  strong,  "  You  may  grow  stronger,"  or  to  the 
weak,  "  You  may  never  become  strong."  Launched 
upon  the  ocean  of  life,  like  an  innumerable  fleet, 
each  man  may  spread  what  sails  God  has  given  him, 
whether  he  be  pinnace,  sloop,  brig,  bark,  ship,  or 
man-of-war ;  and  no  commodore  or  admiral  may 
signal  what  voyage  he  shall  make  or  what  canvas  he 
shall  carry. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  169 

GOD  has  given  to  men  the  great  truths  of  liberty 
and  equality,  which  are  like  mothers'  breasts,  carry- 
ing food  for  ages.  Let  us  not  fear  that  in  our  land 
they  shall  be  overthrown  or  destroyed.  Though  we 
may  go  through  dark  times,  —  rocking  times,  when 
we  are  seasick,  —  yet  the  day  shall  come  when 
there  shall  be  no  more  oppression,  but  when,  all 
over  the  world,  there  shall  be  a  common  people,  sit- 
ting in  a  commonwealth,  having  a  common  Bible, 
a  common  God,  and  common  peace  and  joy  in  a 
common  brotherhood  ! 


THE  world  is  so  fruitful  that  we  can  hardly  even 
blunder  without  bringing  forth  some  good.  We 
can  take  up  no  scheme,  however  wild  and  impracti- 
cable, but  it  will  strike  off  some  flower  or  fruit 
from  the  tree  of  knowledge. 


IT  often  happens  that  the  coming  of  Christ  to  his 
disciples,  for  their  relief,  is  that  which  frightens  them 
most,  because  they  do  not  know  the  extent  of  God's 
wardrobe ;  for  I  think  that  as  a  king  might  never 
wear  the  same  garment  but  once,  in  order  to  show 
his  riches  and  magnificence,  so  God  comes  to  us  in 
all  exigencies,  but  never  twice  alike.  He  sometimes 
15 


1TO  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

puts  on  the  garments  of  trouble ;  and,  when  we  are 
calling  upon  him  as  though  he  were  yet  in  heaven, 
he  is  walking  by  our  side  ;  and  that  from  which  we 
are  praying  God  to  deliver  us  is  often  but  God  him- 
self. Thus  it  is  with  us  as  with  children  who  are 
•terrified  by  their  dreams  in  the  night,  and  scream 
for  their  parents,  until,  fully  waking,  behold  they 
are  in  their  parents'  arms  ! 


QUESTIONS  of  future  society  are  too  vast  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  present.  Society,  like  life,  grows 
from  a  principle  divinely  implanted,  and  all  we  can 
do  is  to  stimulate  and  tend  it.  God  never  gives  us 
the  light  which  our  children  need ;  he  gives  it  to 
them. 

THERE  are  multitudes  of  men  like  the  summer 
vines,  which  never  grow  even  ligneous,  but  stretch 
out  a  thousand  little  hands  to  grasp  the  stronger 
shrubs  ;  and  if  they  cannot  reach  them,  they  lie 
dishevelled  in  the  grass,  hoof-trodden,  and  beaten 
of  every  storm. 

It  does  not  tarnish  bright  gifts  to  hold  them  in 
restraint  lest  their  heedless  liberty  should  injure 
others.  Men  who  would  cheerfully  forego  lawful 
pleasures  which  injure  the  weak,  often  feel  that  it 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  171 

is  reversing  the  law  of  growth,  and  the  divine 
method,  to  shape  the  pattern  of  our  life,  not  upon 
the  large  pattern  of  our  own  powers,  but  upon  the 
meagre  pattern  of  the  ignorant,  the  prejudiced,  and 
the  vulgar.  And  yet,  every  man  should  learn  better 
from  the  nursery,  in  which  God  teaches  men  more 
deep  theology  than  all  books  contain,  of  the  no- 
bleness of  strength  nourishing  weakness,  of  knowl- 
edge careful  of  ignorance,  and  of  experience  wait- 
ing upon  childhood,  and,  by  serving  it  with  all 
self-renunciation,  gaining  honor  and  greatness.  As 
yet,  the  world  will  not  understand  that  he  governs 
whom  love  makes  serviceable.  The  strong  are  few, 
the  weak  are  many;  and  God  appoints  the  strong 
to  serve  the  weak,  saying,  "  We,  then,  that  are 
strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and 
not  to  please  ourselves.  Let  every  one  of  us  please 
his  neighbor  for  his  good  to  edification.  For  even 
Christ  pleased  not  himself;  but,  as  it  is  written, 
The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproach  thee  fell 


THERE  are  some  who  stand  on  a  narrow  strip  of 
land  between  two  dead  seas,  and  drink  their  waters 
alternately.  The  past  is  filled  with  bitter  regrets, 
and  ghosts  which  will  not  be  laid,  but  walk  still  to 
haunt  them ;  and  the  future  is  filled  with  shadowy 


172  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

shapes,  which  beckon  them  forward  to  new  suffer- 
ing. There  is  a  purgatory,  and  it  is  this  :  it  is  the 
point  where  good,  despaired  of,  touches  evils  re- 
membered. 

PIETY  may  be  called  the  act  of  right  growing. 
It  is  moving  towards  true  attainment  that  consti- 
tutes it. 

SUPPOSE  a  man  should  sail,  all  the  boiling  and 
blazing  day,  round  and  round  an  old  Dutch  ship  in 
the  harbor,  and  the  next  day  you  should  see  him, 
like  a  magnified  fly,  creeping  up  and  down  the 
masts,  and  spars,  and  examining  the  rigging,  and 
you  should  ask  him  what  he  was  doing,  and  he 
should  answer,  "  I  have  heard  that  this  ship  is  a 
dull  sailer,  and  I  want  to  look  at  it  and  see." 
Could  he  ever  find  out  in  this  way  ?  No.  Let  him 
weigh  anchor  and  spread  the  canvas,  and  take  the 
wind  and  bear  away,  if  he  would  know  how  she 
sails. 

So,  if  a  Christian  would  learn  his  true  state,  let 
him  not  row  round  and  round  the  hull  of  his  self- 
consciousness,  and  creep  up  and  down  the  masts 
and  spars  of  his  feelings  and  affections  ;  but  let  him 
spread  the  sails  of  resolution,  and  bear  away  on  the 
ocean  of  duty.  Then  he  shall  know  whether  he  be 
a  dull  or  a  fast  sailer. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  173 

SOME  regard  religion  as  a  sort  of  divine  aura, 
which  descends  upon  a  man  and  encircles  him,  as 
silvery  mists  enwreathe  autumnal  mountain  tops. 
There  is  a  sense  in  which  this  is  true.  No  one 
would  become  a  Christian  without  the  direct  aid  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  any  more  than  a  bud  would  be- 
come a  blossom  without  the  influence  of  the  sun  ; 
but  yet,  personal  religion  is  the  result  of  personal 
choice. 

A  STATE  in  which  the  citizen  is  the  pabulum  of 
the  state,  will  soon  have  nothing  left  to  feed  on. 


THE  church  was  built  to  disturb  the  peace  of  man  ; 
but  often  it  does  not  perform  its  duty,  for  fear  of 
disturbing  the  peace  of  the  church.  What  kind  of 
artillery  practice  would  that  be  which  declined  to 
fire  for  fear  of  kicking  over  the  gun  carriages,  or 
waking  up  the  sentinels  asleep  at  their  posts  ? 


A  CHURCH  may  have  a  creed  that  shall  be  like 
Jacob's  ladder,  uniting  earth  and  heaven,  arid  an- 
gels of  exposition  may  run  nimbly  up  and  down 
upon  it  before  the  congregation  ;  and  yet,  if  there 
is  no  love  in  that  church,  unlike  the  patriarch,  it 
15* 


174  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

will  never  wake  from  its  sleep,  or  lift  its  head  from 
the  pile  of  stones  on  which  it  lies. 


MANY  men  are  swamped  in  the  doctrines  of  elec- 
tion and  predestination,  but  this  is  supreme  imper- 
tinence. They  are  truths  which  belong  to  God,  and 
if  you  are  troubled  by  them,  it  is  because  you  are 
meddling  with  what  does  not  belong  to  you.  You 
only  need  to  understand  that  all  God's  agencies  are 
to  assist  you  in  gaining  your  salvation,  if  you  will 
but  use  them  rightly.  To  doubt  this  is  as  if  men  in 
a  boat,  pulling  against  the  tide,  and,  with  all  their 
efforts,  going  backwards  every  hour,  should  by  and 
by  find  the  current  turning,  and  see  the  wind 
springing  up  with  it  and  filling  the  sails,  and  hear 
the  man  at  the  helm  exclaim,  "  Row  away,  boys  ! 
Wind  and  tide  are  in  your  favor,"  and  they  should 
all  say,  "  What  shall  we  do  with  the  oars  ?  Do  not 
the  wind  and  the  tide  take  away  our  free  agency  ?  " 


WHEN  Christ  came,  it  was  not  necessary  for  him 
to  teach  that  man  was  miserable,  any  more  than  it 
would  be  to  demonstrate  the  presence  of  disease  in 
a  hospital  of  fevered,  palsied  patients ;  for,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  woes  of  the  individual,  the  world  w.as 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  175 

a  tangled  web  of  misery.  Each  year  travailed  in 
pain,  and  passed  the  legacy  to  the  next,  and  the 
centuries  rolled  on  with  this  weight  of  woe.  And 
still  the  world  looks  desolate.  The  ages  seem  only 
to  burden  it  as  they  march  over,  while  God's  prom- 
ises hang  above  it  like  stars,  distant  and  cold.  Yet 
we  believe  in  him,  and,  like  the  prophets  of  old,  we 
stand  and  cry,  "  How  long,  0  Lord,  how  long  !  " 


CHARACTER,  like  porcelain  ware,  must  be  painted 
before  it  is  glazed.  There  can  be  no  change  after 
it  is  burned  in. 


WE  are  not  sent  into  life  as  a  butterfly  is  sent 
into  summer,  gorgeously  hovering  over  the  flowers, 
as  if  the  interior  spirits  of  the  rainbow  had  come 
down  to  greet  these  kisses  of  the  season  upon  the 
ground  ;  but  to  labor  for  the  world's  advancement, 
and  to  mould  our  characters  into  God's  likeness, 
and  so,  through  toil  and  achievement,  to  gain  hap- 
piness. I  would  rather  break  stones  upon  the  road, 
if  it  were  not  for  the  disgrace  of  being  in  a  chain 
gang,  than  to  be  one  of  those  contemptible  joy- 
mongers,  who  are  so  rich  and  so  empty  that  they 
are  continually  going  about  to  find  something  to 
make  them  happy. 


176  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

ONE  should  go  to  sleep  at  night  as  homesick  pas- 
sengers do,  saying,  "  Perhaps  in  the  morning  we 
shall  see  the  shore."  To  us  who  are  Christians,  it 
is  not  a  solemn,  but  a  delightful  thought,  that  per- 
haps nothing  but  the  opaque,  bodily  eye  prevents 
us  from  beholding  the  gate  which  is  open  just  before 
us,  and  nothing  but  the  dull  ear  prevents  us  from 
hearing  the  ringing  of  those  bells  of  joy  which  wel- 
come us  to  the  heavenly  land.  That  we  are  so  near 
death,  is  too  good  to  be  believed.  • 


GOD  does  not  refuse  to  make  himself  known  to 
man.  He  only  will  not  do(  it  by  the  symbolism  of 
matter.  He  comes  to  us  at  once  by  the  most  natu- 
ral course.  We  are  in  a  transient  state  ;  our  bodies 
are  accidental,  and  God  comes  to  us  by  that  which 
is  higher  and  truer  —  the  intuitions  of  the  soul. 


MEN'S  graces  must  get  the  better  of  their  faults 
as  a  farmer's  crops  do  of  the  weeds  —  by  growth. 
When  the  corn  is  low,  the  farmer  uses  the  plough 
to  root  up  the  weeds ;  but  when  it  is  high,  and  shakes 
its  palm-like  leaves  in  the  wind,  he  says,  "  Let  the 
corn  take  care  of  them,"  for  the  dense  shadow  of 
growing  corn  is  as  fatal  to  weeds  as  the  edge  of  the 
sickle. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  177 

*  IN  looking  upon  a  congregation  like  this,  it  is 
natural  to  think  of  you  as  you  appear  in  the  world ; 
here  a  merchant,  there  a  teacher  ;  here  a  mechanic, 
there  an  artist ;  here  a  shipmaster,  there  a  banker. 
But  to-night  I  seem  to  behold  you  in  your  higher 
relations,  and  you  stand  to  me  like  living  portraits 
on  the  background  of  eternity.  I  behold  the  lines 
of  God  in  your  faces.  No  longer  are  you  to  me 
men  of  the  street,  or  of  the  house,  but  creatures  of 
heaven  ;  and,  like  a  flock  of  birds  in  autumn  sit- 
ting upon  the  bough,  with  wings  half-lifted,  waiting 
for  the  migratory  hour,  I  see  you  just  ready  to 
take  flight  for  the  eternal  land  ! 


THERE  is  dew  in  one  flower  and  not  in  another, 
because  one  opens  its  cup  and  takes  it  in,  while  the 
other  closes  itself,  and  the  drops  run  off.  God  rains 
his  goodness  and  mercy  as  wide-spread  as  the  dew, 
and  if  we  lack  them-,  it  is  because  we  will  not  open 
our  hearts  to  receive  them. 


THE  great  men  of  earth  are  the  shadowy  men, 
who,  having  lived  and  died,  now  live  again  and  for- 
ever through  their  undying  thoughts.  Thus  living, 

*  At  the  close  of  a  Sabbath  evening  sermon. 


178  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

though  their  footfalls  are  heard  no  more,  their 
voices  are  louder  than  the  thunder,  and  unceasing 
as  the  flow  of  tides  or  air. 

Moses  was  not  half  living  when  he  was  alive.  His 
real  life  has  been  since  he  died.  The  prophets 
seemed  almost  useless  in  their  time.  They  did  little 
for  themselves  or  for  the  church  of  that  day ;  but 
when  you  look  at  the  life  they  have  lived  since, 
you  shall  find  they  have  been  God's  pilots,  guiding 
the  church  through  all  perils.  From  their  black 
bosoms  they  sent  forth  the  blast  of  his  lightning 
and  the  roar  of  his  thunder ;  and  to-day,  if  the 
church  needs  rebuke  and  denunciation,  it  is  they 
who  must  hurl  it.  I  could  have  killed  old  Jere- 
miah, if  I  could  have  got  at  his  ribs  ;  but  I  should 
like  to  see  the  archer  that  could  hit  him  now. 
Martin  Luther  was  mighty  when  he  lived ;  but  the 
shadowy  Luther  is  mightier  than  a  regiment  of 
fleshly  Luthers.  When  he  was  on  earth,  he  in 
some  .sense  asked  the  pope  leave  to  be,  and  the  em- 
peror and  the  elector  leave  to  be ;  he  asked  the 
stream  and  the  wheat  to  give  him  sustenance  for  a 
day ;  but  now  that  his  body  is  dead,  —  now  that 
that  rubbisli  is  out  of  the  way,  —  he  asks  no  leave 
of  pope,  or  elector,  or  emperor,  but  is  the  monarch 
of  thought,  and  the  noblest  defender  of  the  faith  to 
the  end  of  time. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  179 

I  KNOW  it  is  more  agreeable  to  walk  upon  carpets 
than  to  lie  upon  dungeon  floors ;  I  know  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  have  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  civili- 
zation ;  but  he  who  cares  only  for  these  things  is 
worth  no  more  than  a  butterfly,  contented  and 
thoughtless  upon  a  morning  flower ;  and  who  ever 
thought  of  rearing  a  tombstone  to  a  last  summer's 
butterfly  ? 

WHAT  we  call  wisdom  is  the  result,  not  the  re- 
siduum, of  all  the  wisdom  of  past  ages.  Our  best 
institutions  are  like  young  trees  growing  upon  the 
roots  of  the  old  trunks  that  have  crumbled  away. 


Do  you  ever  reflect  that  your  powers  of  accom- 
plishment are  direct  mercies  from  Heaven  ?  God 
does  a  more  wonderful  thing  when  he  holds  all 
your  faculties  in  such  nice  adjustment  and  perfect 
play  that  you  win  success,  than  he  would  have  done 
if  he  had  wrought  the  fruit  of  that  success  himself 
by  a  miracle. 

To  the  infidel,  Nature's  voices  are  but  a  Babel 
din.  Trees  rustle,  and  brooks  babble,  and  winds 
blow ;  but  there  is  no  meaning  in  their  sound.  To 
the  Christian,  all  speak  of  God  ;  and  if  it  were  not 


180  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

for  the  dimness  of  the  natural  eye,  he  might  see  his 
hosts  of  angels  at  their  ministry.  The  tree  stretches 
out  its  arm,  laden  with  fruit,  like  the  arm  of  God. 
The  morning  sprinkles  him  with  dew,  as  with  holy 
water ;  and  he  is  sung  to  sleep,  at  evening,  with 
songs  like  the  lullaby  of  earthly  parents  to  their 
children. 


As  flowers  carry  dewdrops,  trembling  on  the 
edges  of  the  petals,  and  ready  to  fall  at  the  first 
waft  of  wind  or  brush  of  bird,  so  the  heart  should 
carry  its  beaded  words  of  thanksgiving ;  and  at  the 
first  breath  of  heavenly  favor,  let  down  the  shower, 
perfumed  with  the  heart's  gratitude. 


IT  is  a  solemn  thing  to  be  married ;  to  have  to 
preach  to  a  congregation  from  your  own  loins ;  to 
have  God  put  the  hand  of  ordination  on  you  in  the 
birth  of  your  children,  and  say  to  you,  "  Now  art 
thou  a  priest  unto  those  whom  I  have  given  tliee." 

If  ever  the  stream  of  life  should  flow  like  crystal 
water  over  shining  stones,  it  should  be  the  stream 
of  daily  life  in  the  family.  If  God  has  taught  us 
all  truth  in  teaching  us  to  love,  then  he  has  given 
us  an  interpretation  of  our  whole  duty  in  our  own 
households.  We  thank  him  that  we  are  not  born 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  181 

• 

as  the  partridge  of  the  wood,  or  the  ostrich  of  the 
desert,  to  be  scattered  every  whither;  but  that  we 
are  "grouped  together  and  brooded  by  love,  and 
reared  day  by  day  in  that  first  of  churches,  the 
family. 

OF  all  earthly  music,  that  which  reaches  the  far- 
thest into  heaven  is  the  beating  of  a  loving  heart. 


IN  our  land,  men  have  classified  themselves.  We 
have  aristocrats,  but  God  made  them ;  and  there 
never  will  be  a  time  when  mightiness  of  soul  shall 
not  overshadow  littleness  of  soul.  It  was  designed 
that  some  should  be  high,  some  intermediate,  and 
some  low,  as  trees  are  some  forty,  some  a  hundred, 
and  some,  the  giant  pines,  (how  solitary  their  tops 
must  be !)  three  hundred  feet  in  height.  But,  how- 
ever high  their  tops  may  reach,  their  roots  rest  in 
the  same  soil ;  as  men,  though  they  can  grow  and 
tower  aloft  as  much  as  they  please,  still  stand  on  a 
common  level. 

Do  the  best  you  can  where  you  are  ;  and,  when 
that  is  accomplished,  God  will  open  a  door  for  you, 
and  a  voice  will  call,  "  Come  up  hither  into  a  higher 
sphere." 

16 


182  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

SIMPLY  weed  a  man,  so  that  he  shall  produce 
nothing  evil,  but  never  plant  him,  so  that  he  shall 
produce  something  good,  and  what  is  he  worth  ?  If 

this  be  cultivation,  the  Desert  of  Sahara  is  the  most 

• 

perfectly  cultivated  spot  on  the  globe. 


ONE  of  the  best  prayers  ever  offered  is  that  which 
Christ  himself  hallowed,  and  set  apart  for  our  ob- 
servation — "  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner ! " 
There  is  no  title,  no  "  forever  and  ever,  Amen,"  to 
it.  It  is  only  the  heart  broken  out  of  the  man. 


ALL  the  sobriety  which  religion"  needs  or  requires, 
is  that  which  real  earnestness  produces.  Tears  and 
shadows  are  not  needful  to  sobriety.  Smiles  arid 
cheerfulness  are  as  much  its  elements.  "When  men 
say,  Be  sober,  they  usually  mean,  Be  stupid  ;  but 
when  the  Bible  says,  Be  sober,  it  means,  Rouse  up, 
and  let  fly  the  earnestness  and  vivacity  of  life.  The 
old,  scriptural  sobriety  was  effectual  doing;  the  la- 
ter, ascetic  sobriety  is  effectual  dulness. 


ONE  of  our  great  troubles,  as  ministers,  is  to  keep 
people  from  wishing  to  be  awfully  converted.   There 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  183 

are  those  who  will  not  come  into  God's  kingdom 
unless  they  can  come  as  Dante  went  into  paradise  — • 
by  going  through  hell.  They  wish  to  walk  over  the 
burning  marl,  and  to  snuff  the  sulphureous  air. 

If  a  man  has  done  wrong,  his  own  thoughts  should 
turn  him  to  reparation  ;  but  if  they  do  not,  the  first 
intimation  from  the  injured  friend  should  suffice. 
But  if  he  will  come  to  no  terms  until  the  matter  has 
passed  through  the  court,  and  the  execution  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  officer,  and  then,  at  length,  in  the 
final  extremity,  yields,  his  yielding  is  the  basest 
compliance  of  fear,  and  not  the  impulse  of  honor  or 
conscience.  And  even  more,  men  should  be  ashamed 
of  needing  deep  convictions  of  sin  before  they  re- 
pent before  God.  He  must  be  a  mean  and  a  very 
wicked  man  who  will  not  submit  to  God  till  he  has 
been  dealt  with  by  such  terrors.  Magnanimous  re- 
pentance never  waits  for  the  spur  of  remorse  before 
it  bounds  towards  the  injured  one,  with  confession 
and  reconciliation. 


I  MARVEL  how  a  woman,  with  her  need  of  love, 
with  her  sensitive,  yearning,  clasping  nature,  can 
look  into  the  face  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  not  put 
her  arms  about  his  neck,  and  tell  him,  with  gushing 
love,  that  she  commits  herself,  body  and  soul,  into 
his  sacred  keeping ! 


184  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

*  THIS  concert,  I  perceive  by  the  notice,  is  to  be 
"  partly  sacred  and  partly  instrumental ;  "  that  is  to 
say,  one  part  is  to  be  just  as  sacred  as  the  other ;  for 
all  good  music  is  sacred,  if  it  is  heard  sacredly,  and 
all  poor  music  is  execrably  unsacred. 


THE  Bible  Society  is  sending  its  shiploads  of 
Bibles  all  over  the  world  —  to  Greenland  and  the 
Morea,  to  Arabia  and  Egypt ;  but  it  dares  not  send 
them  to  our  own  people.  The  colporteur  who 
should  leave  a  Bible  in  a  slave's  cabin  would  go  to 
heaven  from  the  lowest  limb  of  the  first  tree.  It 
was  hell,  among  the  ancients,  that  was  guarded  by 
a  hundred-headed  dog ;  in  this  country,  it  is  heaven 
that  has  the  Cerberus. 


ASCETICISM  is  not  dead  yet.  A  man  may  be  poor 
in  spirit  without  being  poor  in  his  garments.  Be- 
cause a  man  is  a  Christian  he  is  not  called  to  for- 
swear the  treasures  of  refinement.  Consecrated 
using,  and  not  despising  and  throwing  away,  is 
God's  law  for  riches  and  beauty,  and  all  earthly 
good.  All  secular  good  belongs  to  the  Christian 
more  than  to  any  other  man.  In  God's  wish,  he  is 

*  Notice  of  a  concert. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  185 

not  only  the  heir  of  God  hereafter,  but  it  is  declared 
that  he  shall  now  inherit  the  earth.  A  Christian 
who  every  day  carries  home  his  gifts  to  Christ  may 
be  heaped  with  treasure,  and  with  all  things  that 
are  beautiful  in '  the  world.  The  world  only  waits 
till  Christians  can  bear  it  without  sel£mdulgence> 
before  it  pours  all  its  bright  possessions  into  their 
lap.  It  is  enough  that  Christ  was  born  in  a  man- 
ger ;  his  children  are  not  always  to  tabernacle  there. 
Christ  is  not  to  be  the  pauper  of  the  universe  for- 
ever. He  is  to  be  the  King  of  glory. 


THERE  are  some  people  who  forever  add  a  "  But 
then"  to  every  positive  having,  and  so  always  make 
a  drain  or  sluiceway  by  which  the  heavenly  stream 
of  God's  favors  escapes  from  them. 


THE  church  has  been  so  fearful  of  amusements 
that  the  devil  has  had  the  care  of  them.  The 
chaplet  of  flowers  has  been  snatched  from  the  brow 
of  Christ,  and  given  to  Mammon. 


MANY  people  think  that  doctrine  should  be  the> 
staple  of  preaching,  —  that  on  a  rainy  day,  or  when 
16* 


186  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

the  minister  is  not  quite  well,  lie  can  preach  moral- 
ity, —  but  that  when  he  is  strong  and  vigorous,  and 
knows  what  he  is  about,  he  should  preach  doctrine. 
This  doctrinal  preaching  may  be  food  for  one  tenth 
of  the  congregation;  but  the  nine  tenths  will  be 
driven  by  it,  through  disgust,  into  moralities.  It 
creates  two  distinct  parties  —  the  spiritualists,  who 
are  always  looking  Godward,  and*  crying,  "  Thither, 
thither  ! "  and  the  moralists,  who  look  manward, 
and  cry,  "  Hither,  hither !  "  The  one  party  lives  in 
the  then,  the  other  party  in  the  now.  Both  are 
right, — minister  and  people,  —  and  both  are  wrong. 
Doctrines  and  moralities  must  be  united. 

Many  ministers  forge  doctrines  as  they  would 
forge  ploughs.  One  Sunday  it  is  election  ;  and  they 
heat  it  red  hot,  and  beat  and  hammer  it  upon  the 
anvil,  and  then  put  it  away,  cold  iron,  upon  the 
shelf.  The  next  Sunday  it  is  decrees;  and  they 
beat  and  hammer  that,  and  lay  it  also  aside.  The 
next  Sunday  it  is  the  perseverance  of  the  saints ; 
and  the  next,  the  origin  of  evil,  or  some  equally 
incomprehensible  thing,  for  the  farther  a  subject  is 
from  the  range  of  human  faculties  the  better  it 
seems  to  be  to  make  a  doctrine  of;  and  so  they  go 
on  through  the  year,  with  occasional  exceptions,  and 
the  next  year  they  take  them  down  and  cast  them 
over  again.  They  do  not  use  them.  They  only 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.      .  187 

fashion  them.  They  rub  them  up,  they  polish  them, 
and  then  lay  them  again  on  the  shelf —  disputing 
meanwhile  which  pattern  is  best.  There  are  various 
schools  ;  and  each  school  has  its  own  pattern,  and 
berates  the  others,  without  ever  doing  as  inventors 
do  at  agricultural  fairs  —  taking  their  ploughs  out 
into  the  field  with  them,  to  see  which  can  do  the 
best  work. 

Now,  I  believe  in  doctrines,  with  my  explanations, 
as  much  as  they  ;  but  I  must  use  them.  My  duty 
is  to  forge  a  plough,  and  then  to  give  it  a  handle, 
and  then  to  fasten  a  team  to  it  strong  as  eternity, 
and  to  put  it  into  the  soil,  and  to  rip  through  the 
sod  down  to  the  subsoil,  and  to  roust  out  all  the 
vermin  and  the  nibbling  mice,  and  turn  up  the  yel- 
low dirt  to  the  sun. 

No  doctrine  is  good  for.  any  thing  that  does  not 
leave  behind  it  an  ethical  furrow  ready  for  the  plant- 
ing of  seeds  which  shall  spring  up  and  bear  abundant 
harvests. 

THERE  are  many  of  us  whose  children  are  in 
heaven,  who  have  been  borne  from  us  through  quick 
life  to  lie  in  angels'  bosoms ;  and,  though  they  were 
not  wrested  from  us  without  pangs,  and  though  the 
places  which  they  filled  in  our  hearts  are  as  wells 
of  tears,  yet  we  would  not  have  them  back,  and  we 


188  LIFE    THOUGHTS-. 

are  glad  to-day  for  our  sakes  and  for  their  own. 
And  some  we  are  piloting,  but  must  soon  leave  them 
alone  upon  the  tossing  sea.  God  grant  that  then, 
without  shipwreck,  they  may  safely  reach  the  haven 
where  we  have  gone. 


WHEN  a  church  is  faithless  to  its  duties,  the  real 
church  is  outside  its  walls,  in  the  community. 


IN  plan,  include  the  whole;  in  execution,  take 
life  day  by  day.  Men  do  not  know  how  to  reconcile 
the  oppugnant  directions  that  we  should  live  for 
the  future,  and  yet  should  find  our  life  in  fidelities 
to  the  present ;  but  the  last  is  only  the  method  of 
the  first.  True  aiming,  in  life,  is  like  true  aiming 
in  marksmanship.  We  always  look  at  the  fore-sight 
of  a  rifle  through  the  hind-sight. 


THERE  are  many  Christians  who  like,  about  once 
in  twelve  months,  to  have  a  good  revival  in  their 
hearts.  They  think  that,  like  the  year,  they  can 
make  up  for  freezing  and  snowing  all  winter  by  a 
period  of  intense  heat  in  the  summer.  The  remedy 
for  such  is  not  to  chill  the  revivals,  but  to  shorten 


LIFE    THOUGHTS. 


the  intervals  between  them,  and  to  endeavor  to 
make  their  life  equatorial  and  tropical  all  tlm  year 
round. 


No  one  cries  when  children,  long  absent  from 
their  parents,  go  home.  Vacation  morning  is  a  ju- 
bilee. But  death  is  the  Christian's  vacation  morn- 
ing. School  is  out.  It  is  time  to  go  home.  It  is 
surprising  that  one  should  wish  life  here,  who  may- 
have  life  in  heaven.  And  when  friends  have  gone 
out  from  us  joyously,  I  think  we  should  go  with 
them  to  the  grave,  not  singing  mournful  psalms, 
but  scattering  flowers.  Christians  are  wont  to  walk 
in  black,  and  sprinkle  the  ground  with  tears,  at 
the  very  time  when  they  should  walk  in  white, 
and  illumine  the  way  by  smiles  and  radiant  hope. 
The  disciples  found  angels  at  the  grave  of  Him 
they  loved;  and  we  should  always  find  them  too, 
but  that  our  eyes  are  too  full  of  tears  for  seeing. 


THE  stars  do  not  come  to  tell  us  that  it  is  night, 
but  to  lay  beams  of  light  through  it,  and  give  the  eye 
a  path  to  walk  in.  It  needed  the  mission  of  Christ 
to  lift  the  darkness  which  brooded  over  the  world, 
not  to  proclaim  it ;  and  therefore  it  was  said,  "  To 
them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death 


190  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

light  is  sprung  up."  When  men  grope  through 
the  £tav  Testament,  and  come  forth  with  denials 
of  man's  wickedness,  from  the  supposed  lack  of 
peremptory  assertions,  my  reply  to  them  would  be, 
"  Go,  search  all  medical  books ;  find  me  an  argu- 
ment to  prove  that  there  are  fevers,  or  dropsies,  or 
plagues.  Search  all  military  works,  and  find  me 
the  passages  which  laboriously  seek  to  prove  that 
men  have  been  slain.  Search  through  all  optical 
works,  and  bring  me  the  passage  which  declares 
that  there  is  an  eye,  and  that  there  is  such  an  act 
as  seeing."  If  there  were  as  little  common  sense 
among  men  in  every-day  life  as  there  is  in  their 
treatment  of  the  Bible,  the  whole  earth  must  needs 
become  a  lunatic  asylum,  to  hold  all  who  should  be 
sent  there. 

NEVER  forget  what  a  man  has  said  to  you  when 
he  was  angry.  If  he  has  charged  you  with  any 
thing,  you  had  better  look  it  up.  Anger  is  a  bow 
that  will  shoot  sometimes  where  another  feeling 
will  not. 

THERE  is  many  a  Christian  who  has  higher  views 
of  God  in  his  closet,  or  on  the  sea,  or  when  travel- 
ling through  lonely  woods,  than  he  ever  lias  in  the 
sanctuary  —  outstartings,  so  to  speak,  of  God  be- 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  191 

fore  him,  which  reveal  Him  more  plainly  than  any 
thing  he  ever  found  when  he  was  seeking  for  Him. 


SUFFERING  is  a  part  of  the  divine  idea.  All  our 
faculties  stand  in  a  double  constitution,  and  are  just 
as  really  susceptible  of  pain  as  of  pleasure.  We  were 
created  so  that  every  nerve  was  provided  with  this 
twofold  nature,  and  both  of  them  are  divine.  The 
world  is  filled  full  of  dangerous  things,  —  things 
which  can  bruise,  and  cut,  and  poison,  —  and  no 
angel  stands  near  them  to  say,  "  Come  not  here." 
There  is  not  a  step  we  can  take  but  death  is  there. 
Pain  is  continually  on  the  larboard  or  starboard 
side,  and  life  consists  in  steering  between  dangers 
on  the  one  hand  or  the  other.  Where  there  is  so 
much  sorrow,  there  is  only  one  way.  It  is  to  think 
that  suffering  is  a  part  of  happiness.  One  who  does 
this  takes  all  trials,  and  heaps  them  up,  and  says, 
"  They  are  no  longer  to  me  what  they  were  before. 
They  are  not  opaque  ;  they  are  luminous." 


A  MAN  in  a  state  of  hot-brain  nervousness  is 
burning  up.  He  is  like  a  candle  in  a  hot  candle- 
stick, which  burns  off  at  one  end  and  melts  down  at 
the  other. 


192  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

IT  is  a  sad  thing  to  look  at  some  of  the  receiving 
hulks  at  the  'navy  yard  —  to  think  that  that  was  the 
ship  which  once  went  so  fearlessly  across  the  ocean ! 
It  has  come  back  to  be  anchored  in  some  quiet  bay, 
and  so  roll  this  way  and  that  with  the  tide.  Yet 
this -is  what  many  men  set  before  them  as  the  end 
of  life  —  that  they  may  reach  some  haven,  where 
they  will  be  able  to  cast  out  an  anchor  at  the  bow 
and  an  anchor  at  the  stern,  and  never  move  again ; 
but  rock  lazily,  without  a  sail,  without  a  voyage,  wait- 
ing simply  for  decay  to  take  apart  their  timbers. 


I  HAVE  seen  men  who,  I  thought,  ought  to  have 
a  whole  conversion  for  each  one  of  their  faculties. 
Their  natures  were-  so  umnitigatedly  wicked,  that 
it  cost  more  for  them  to  be  decent  than  it  would 
for  other  men  to  be  saints. 


PUBLIC  sentiment  is  like  a  battery,  which  protects 
the  city  that  is  behind  it,  but  sweeps  with  destruc- 
tion all  the  plain  that  is  before  it.  It  powerfully 
restrains  men  from  doing  wrong ;  but  when  they 
have  done  wrong,  it  sets  itself  as  powerfully  against 
them.  The  height  of  Dover  Cliffs  would  prevent  a 
man  from  jumping  into  the  sea ;  but  once  amid  the 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  193 

thunder   of   the   waves,   and  what   chance   would 
there  be  for  him  to  climb  the  steep  ? 


MANY  people  regard  the  Bible  as  an  old  ruin. 
They  think  there  may  be  some  chambers  in  it  which 
might  be  made  habitable,  if  it  were  worth  the 
while ;  but  they  take  it  as  a  young  heir  takes  his 
estate,  who  says,  "  I  shall  build  me  a  modern  house 
to  live  in,  but  I'll  keep  the  old  castle  as  a  ruin  ;  " 
and  so  they  have  some  scientific  or  literary  house  to 
live  in,  and  look  upon  the  Bible  only  as  a  romantic 
relic  of  the  past. 

A  MAN  must  not  only  desire  to  be  right  —  he  must 
be  right.  You  may  say,  "  I  wish  to  send  this  ball 
so  as  to  kill  the  lion  crouching  yonder,  ready 
to  spring  upon  me.  My  wishes  are  all  right,  and 
I  hope  Providence  will  direct  the  ball."  Prov- 
idence won't.  You  must  do  it ;  and  if  you  do 
not,  you  are  a  dead  man. 


MEN  are  greatly  relieved  when  they  have  at 
length  rid  themselves  of  belief  in  some  unwelcome 
doctrine  —  as  if  facts  could  be  destroyed  as  easily 
as  opinions. 

17 


194  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

God  sees  that  you  are  naked  and  poor,  and  comes 
to  you  with  a  royal  wardrobe  and  all  supplies. 
Suppose  you  succeed  in  proving  that  there  is  110 
food  or  raiment ;  you  are  still  poor  and  naked. 
What  would  you  think,  if  there  were  to  be  an  in- 
surrection in  a  hospital,  and  sick  man  should 
conspire  with  sick  man,  and  on  a  certain  day  they 
should  rise  up  and  reject  the  doctors  and  nurses ! 
There  they  would  be  —  sickness  and  disease  with- 
in, and  all  the  help  without !  Yet  what  is  a  hos- 
pital compared  to  this  fever-ridden  world,  which 
goes  swinging  in  pain  and  anguish  through  the 
centuries,  where  men  say,  ^  We  have  got  rid  of 
the  atonement,  and  we  are  rid  of  the  Bible  "  ?  Yes, 
and  you  have  rid  yourselves  of  salvation. 


As,  though  the  sky  is  not  steadfastly  clear,  but 
often  is  covered  with  clouds,  yet  through  the  folds 
there  shine  at  intervals  the  everlasting  stars,  so 
through  the  darkness  of  our  hearts  there  steals  at 
times  the  celestial  glory,  and  we  rejoice  that  there 
is  a  heaven  above  the  world. 


You  know  how  the  heart  is  subject  to  freshets ; 
you  know  how  the  mother,  who,  always  loving  her 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  195 

child,  yet,  seeing  in  it  some  new  wile  of  affection, 
will  catch  it  up  and  cover  it  with  kisses,  and  break 
forth  in  a  rapture  of  loving.  Such  a  kind  of  heart- 
glow  fell  from  the  Saviour  upon  that  young  man 
who  said  to  him,  "  Good  Master,  what  good  thing 
shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life  ?  "  It  is 
said,  "  Then  Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved  him." 


SOME  men  spend  their  lives  in  picking  off  dead 
leaves  from  the  tree  of  their  being.  They  think 
they  are  growing  better  because  they  now  and  then 
take  out  their  will,  like  a  pruning  knife,  to  cut  off 
this  and  that  bough.  They  imagine  they  are  self- 
denying  because  they  dust  themselves  over  with  un- 
pleasant sulphur  ;  but,  all  the  while,  they  never  go  to 
the  root,  where  the  worm  of  selfishness  is  working. 


THERE  are  many  trials  in  life  which  do  not  seem 
to  come  from  unwisdom  or  folly.  They  are  silver- 
arrows  shot  from  the  bow  of  God,  and  fixed  inex- 
tricably in  the  quivering  heart.  They  are  to  be 
borne.  They  were  not  meant,  like  snow  on  water, 
to  melt  as  soon  as  they  strike.  But  the  moment 
an  ill  can  be  patiently  borne,  it  is  disarmed  of  its 
poison,  though  not  of  its  pain. 


196  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

THE  thought  of  the  future  punishment  for  the 
wicked,  which  the  Bible  reveals,  is  enough  to  make 
an  earthquake  of  terror  in  every  man's  soul.  I 
do  not  accept  the  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment 
because  I  delight  in  it.  I  would  cast  in  doubts,  if  I 
could,  till  I  had  filled  hell  up  to  the  brim.  I  would 
destroy  all  faith  in  it;  but  that  would  do  me  no 
good  ;  I  could  not  destroy  the  thing.  Nor  does  it 
help  me  to  take  the  word  "  everlasting,"  and  put  it 
into  a  rack  like  an  inquisitor,  until  I  make  it  shriek 
out  some  other  meaning ;  I  cannot  alter  the  stern 
fact. 

The  exposition  of  future  punishment  in  God's 
word  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  threat,  but-  as  a 
merciful  ^declaration.  If,  in  the  ocean  of  life,  over 
which  we  are  bound  to  eternity,  there  are  these 
rocks  and  shoals,  it  is  no  cruelty  to  chart  them 
down  ;  it  is  an  eminent  and  prominent  mercy. 


THERE  are  no  buds  which  can  open  without  the 
sun,  but  there  is  a  great  difference  in  the  time  it 
takes  them  to  unfold.  Some  have  their  outer  pet- 
als so  closely  wrapped  and  glued  together,  that 
there  must  be  many  days  of  warm  shining  before 
they  will  begin  to  expand ;  and  others  there  are 
which  make  haste  to  get  out  of  the  ground ;  and 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  197 

almost  as  soon  as  they  are  buds,  they  are  blossoms. 
So  is  it  with  human  hearts.  Some  are  so  cold  and 
impervious  that  it  seems  as  though  God's  Spirit 
never  could  reach  them ;  and  others  there  are 
which  open  to  its  first  influences. 


SOME  people  have  no  perspective  in  their  con- 
science. Their  moral  convictions  are  the  same  on 
all  subjects.  They  are  like  a  reader  who  speaks 
every  word  with  equal  emphasis. 


EVERY  thought  and  feeling  is  a  painting  stroke, 
in  the  darkness,  of  our  likeness  that  is  to  be ;  and 
our  whole  life  is  but  a  chamber,  which  we  are  fres- 
coing with  colors  that  do  not  appear  while  being- 
laid  on  wet,  but  which  will  shine  forth  afterwards, 
when  finished  and  dry. 


IF  there  are  any  here  this  morning  who  are  be- 
wildered, and  are  wandering  up  and  down  in  the 
forest  of  their  own  thoughts,  sitting  down  to  rest, 
and  then  rising  again  to  renew  their  fruitless  search 
for  the  path  that  leads  out  to  light  and  joy,  may 
the  Shepherd  of  the  lost  go  after  them,  and  bring 
17* 


198  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

them  back,  if  need  be,  in  his  own  bosom.  And  if 
there  are  any  who  are  in  the  garden,  and,  knowing 
not  the  Lord,  are  calling,  "  Tell  me  where  they 
have  laid  him,"  may  he  speak  to  them  by  their 
names,  that  they  may  cry,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God! " 


THERE  is  no  day  born  but  comes  like  a  stroke  of 
music  into  the  world,  and  sings  itself  all  the  way 
through.  There  is  no  event  that  is  discordant. 
All  times  and  passages  are  full  of  melody,  if  we 
would  but  hear  it.  And  as,  in  tumultuous  floods 
and  rushing  falls  of  water,  every  drop  is  as  obe- 
dient to  the  laws  of  nature  as  if  it  lay  in  the  bosom 
of  the  tranquil  lake,  so  all  things  in  earth  and  in 
hell,  in  their  wildest  excesses  as  well  as  in  their 
calmest  flows,  are  obedient  to  God ;  and  his  provi- 
dence is  in  them  stately  and  serene,  going  on  to  its 
own  ends  and  manifestations. 


IT  is  winter  now.  The  earth  is  frost-bound,  and 
incrusted  with  ice  and  snow;  but  soon  tl>e  sun 
will  come  wheeling  from  the  tropics,  and  the  voice 
of  Spring  will  call,  and  the  violets  and  daisies  shall 
hear  it,  as  well  as  the  pines  in  Oregon,  and  every 
where  there  shall  be  life,  and  growth,  and  beauty. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  199 

So  it  is  with  man.  His  winter  has  been  long  and  dark ; 
but  the  sun  of  God's  love  shall  shine,  and  the  crusts 
of 'tyranny  and  the  frosts  of  oppression  shall  melt 
away  beneath  its  rays,  and  the  humblest  as  well  as 
the  loftiest  creature  shall  yet  stand  in  the  light 
and  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 


LIKE  gardens  with  high  stone  walls,  very  rich  and 
pleasant  to  those  who  get  in,  but  very  unlovely  and 
forbidding  to  those  who  are  without,  so  are  men  of 
taste  and  cultivation,  who  spend  their  whole  lives 
to  themselves  with  knowledges  and  refinements 
most  needful  to  common  men,  and  employ  all  their 
pride  to  build  themselves  around  inaccessible. 


As,  when  our  infant  children  are  garnered  in 
our  bosoms,  we  do  not  bless  them  according  to 
their  capacity  of  asking,  but  according  to  the  wealth 
of  affection  that  is  in  our  hearts  for  them,  so  does 
God,  lifting  us  up  and  looking  in  our  faces,  bless 
us,  not  so  much  by  what  we  need  to  receive,  as  by 
what  lie  hath  to  give.  Clouds  never  send  down  to 
ask  the  grass  and  plants  below  how  much  they 
need  ;  they  rain  for  the  relief  of  their  own  full 
bosoms. 


200  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

HEAVEN  will  be  inherited  by  every  man  who  has 
heaven  in  his  soul.  "  The  kingdom  of  God  is 
within  you." 

THERE  are  hundreds  of  churches  which  are  noth- 
ing but  mutual  insurance  companies,  seeking  to 
take  care  of  themselves  and  of  each  other,  and 
to  see  that  religion  is  protected.  Religion  pro- 
tected !  It  was  given  us  for  our  protection,  and 
we  are  not  to  carry  it  unused  and  shielded  from 
blows,  but  to  put  it  on  like  armor,  and  to  go  down 
with  it  into  the  battle.  When  Paul  said,  "  Quit 
ye  like  men,"  he  was  not  thinking  of  those  Chris- 
tians who  are  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  a  conservative 
church,  by  the  slippered  foot  of  a  soft-speaking 
minister,  to  all  delicate  ditties ;  but  of  a  stalwart 
soldier,  with  his  face  as  bronzed  as  his  helmet,  and 
ready  for  the  fray. 

It  is  not  a  man's  part  merely  to  keep  his  armor 
bright ;  to  hang  around  the  edge  of  the  fight,  and, 
whenever  he  sees  -it  bulging  out  towards  him,  to  re- 
treat to  a  hill,  and,  if  any  dust  has  fallen  upon  his 
armor,  to  set  to  work  at  once  to  brush  it  off.  It  is  a 
man's  business  to  go  down  to  the  battle,  and  to  use 
his  sword  when  he  gets  there.  Man  was  not  meant  to 
be  an  armor-keeper ;  but  there  are  men  who  go  all 
their  lives  scrubbing  up  their  armor  —  keeping  their 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  201 

hope  bright  and  their  faith  bright,  but  never  using 
them.     Miserable,  scouring  Christians ! 


WHAT  if  the  leaves  were  to  fall  a-weeping,  and 
say,  "  It  will  be  so  painful  for  us  to  be  pulled 
from  our  stalks,  when  autumn  comes"?  Foolish 
fear !  Summer  goes,  and  autumn  succeeds.  The 
glory  of  death  is  upon  the  leaves ;  and  the  gentlest 
breeze  that  blows  takes  them  softly  and  silently 
from  the  bough,  and  they  float  slowly  down,  like 
fiery  sparks,  upon  the  moss. 

It  is  hard  to  die  when  the  time  is  not  ripe.  When 
it  is,  it  will  be  easy.  We  need  not  die  while  we  are 
living. 

OUR  business,  as  ministers,  is  not  to  make  men 
a  something  else  than  men,  called  Christians ;  it  is 
to  take  Christianity  as  a  formative  influence,  by 
which  to  make  men.  They  are  re-created,  it  is 
true ;  but  it  is  not  out  of  manhood,  but  into  man- 
hood. Grace  is  meant  to  carry  men  back  to  nature, 
whose  true  laws  and  intents  are  only  the  moulds  of 
God's  thoughts.  The  idea  of  the  Bible  is  not  to 
make  neat,  snug,  nice,  dapper  little  Christians,  that 
go  tripping  along  the  ways  of  life.  There  is  no 
warrant  in  the  Bible  for  any  thing  which  is  not 


202  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

manly,  and  robust,  and  large.  Cautiousness  and 
timidity,  a  narrow  path  and  a  timid  policy,  are  not 
Christian  traits. 


*  As  bells  answer  bells,  and  strike  with  sweet 
collision  in  the  air,  so  may  heart  answer  heart,  and 
joy  answer  joy,  upon  this  wedding  day,  when  those 
who  are  affianced  to  God  are  openly  united  to  him 
in  holy  coimmunion. 

I  HAVE  seen  men  whose  reverence  for  religion 
was  so  morbid  that  they  could  hardly  lift  up  their 
eyes  to  heaven,  but  who  made  it  up  by  the  way  they 
looked  down  on  their  fellow-men  —  men  who  yield- 
ed to  no  master  here,  who  were  touched  by  no  name 
of  friend  or  brother ;  but  the  moment  the  name  of 
God  was  pronounced,  they  collapsed. 


WHY  should  you  carry  troubles  and  sorrows  un- 
healed  ?  There  is  no  bodily  wound  for  which  some 
herb  doth  not  grow,  and  heavenly  plants  are  more 
medicinal.  Bind  up  your  hearts  in  them,  and  they 
shall  give  you  not  only  healing,  but  leave  with  you 
the  perfume  of  the  blessed  gardens  where  they  grew. 
Thus  it  may  be  that  sorrows  shall  turn  to  riches  ;  for 

*  At  communion. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  20S 

heart  troubles,  in  God's  husbandry,  are  not  wounds, 
but  the  putting  in  of  the  spade  before  the  planting 
of  seeds. 

MEN  come  to  think  that  the  guilt  of  sins  commit- 
ted in  concert  is  distributed ;  and  that  if  there  be 
a  thousand  men  banded  and  handed  together  in 
wickedness,  each  shall  have  but  the  one  thousandth 
part  of  guilt.  If  a  firm  succeeds,  the  gain  is  dis- 
tributed to  each  partner.  But  if  it  fails,  each  one 
may  be  held  for  the  whole  loss.  Whoever  commits  a 
sin  will  bear  the  sin,  whether  alone  or  with  a  thou- 
sand. Whoever  commits,  or  connives  at  a  public 
sin,  will  bear  the  blame,  as  if  he  alone  did  it.  Pub- 
lic guilt  always  has  private  indorsement,  and  each 
man  is  liable  for  the  whole  note. 


No  matter  how  good  the  walls  and  the  materials 
are,  if  the  foundations  are  not  strong,  the  building 
will  not  stand.  By  and  by,  in  some  upper  room,  a 
crack  will  appear,  and  men  will  say,  "  There  is  the 
crack,  but  the  cause  is  in  the  foundation."  So,  if  in 
youth  you  lay  the  foundations  of  your  character 
wrongly,  the  penalty  will  be  sure  to  follow.  The 
crack  may  be  far  down  in  old  age,  but  somewhere  it 
will  certainly  appear. 


204  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

THAT  which  is  called  "  public  sentiment"  is  often 
nothing  but  a  rod  held  over  the  head  of  approba- 
tiveness. 

IT  is  right  to  have  an  expansive  benevolence,  — 
to  take  into  our  regard  the  world  and  the  race, — • 
but  where  foreign  charity  is  but  a  defence  against 
home  kindness,  it  is  a  base,  sentimental  sham. 
Thousands  will  cry  over  compressed  feet  in  China 
who  are  quite  unaffected  by  souls  compressed  in 
America.  That  religion  should  compel  mothers,  in 
India,  to  cast  their  babes  to  the  Ganges,  shocks 
every  sensibility  of  some  men's  souls,,  who  can  see  no 
occasion  for  grief  that  commerce  snatches  from  the 
dusky  mother  in  America  her  babes,  and  casts  them 
forth  to  slavery — a  worse  monster  than  was  ever  bred 
in  the  slime  of  the  Ganges  or  the  mud  of  the  Nile. 

A  Christian  nation,  jealous  of  its  laws,  but  care- 
less of  its  people,  —  conservative  of  its  institutions, 
but  contemptuous  of  the  weak  and  poor  whom  those 
institutions,  oppress,  —  are  baptized  infidels.  Christ 
never  died  for  laws  nor  for  governments,  but  for 
men;  and  they  who  crush  men  to  build  up  nations 
may  expect  God  to  meet  them  with  the  blast  of  his 
lightning  and  the  terror  of  his  thunder.  The 
masses  against  the  classes,  the  world  over,  —  I  am 
willing  to  go  to  judgment  upon  that. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  205 

IN  the  Bible,  the  word  doctrine  means  simply  teach- 
ing, instruction.  It  was  a  moral  direction,  a  simple 
maxim,  or  a  familiar  practical  truth.  It  certainly 
was  not  that  thing  which  theologians  have  made  doc- 
trine to  be  —  a  mere  philosophical  abstraction.  The 
doctrines  which  the  schools  teach  are  no  more  like 
those  of  the  Bible  than  the  carved  beams  of  Solo- 
mon's temple  were  like  God's  cedar  trees  on  Mount 
Lebanon.  But  men  cut  and  hew  till  they  have 
shaped  their  own  fancies  out  of  God's  timber,  and 
then  they  get  upon  them  like  judgment-day  thrones, 
and  call  all  the  world  to  answer  at  their  feet  for 
heresies  against  their  idols.  There  are  few  heresies 
in  the  world  more  real  than  the  very  idea  of  an 
abstract  doctrine  presented  as  God's  truth.  That 
way  of  thinking  which  men  call  metaphysics,  seems 
not  to  be  employed  above.  It  is  only  a  method  of 
weakness  down  below.  It  is  a  preparation  dissected 
and  arranged  for  our  microscope,  who  have  not  eyes 
strong  enough  to  see  things  just  as  God  made  them, 
and  just  as  he  keeps  them. 


IF  a  fireplace  have  a  good  chimney,  the  smoke 
will  escape  through  the  flue,  and  the  room  will  have 
the  benefit  of  the  warmth  and  the  ruddy  light.  So 
there  are  people  who  will  be  kind  and  good-natured 

18 


#06  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

to  all  about  them,  if  you  give  them  some  single  per- 
son on  whom  they  may  vent  their  impatience  and 
peevishness.  Otherwise  they  will  fill  the  whole 
room  with  smoke.  Social  circles  need  chimneys 
as  much  as  do  houses. 


THERE  is  nothing  in  this  world  so  fiendish  as  the 
conduct  of  a  mean  man  when  he  has  the  power  to 
revenge  himself  upon  a  noble  one  in  adversity.  It 
takes  a  man  to  make  a  devil ;  and  the  fittest  man 
for  such  a  purpose  is  a  snarling,  waspish,  red-hot, 
fiery  creditor. 

A  LAW  is  valuable,  not  because  it  is  law,  but  be- 
cause there  is  right  in  it ;  and  because  of  this  right- 
ness  it  is  like  a  vessel  carrying  perfume  —  like  the 
alabaster  enclosure  of  a  lamp.  A  principle  is 
better  than  a  rule  ;  yet  we  are  not  to  despise 
rules,  for  they  are  leading  strings  intended  to  bring 
us  along  the  path  of  life  to  principles.  A  rule  is  like 
a  mould.  You  pour  in  the  wax ;  and  when  it  is 
pressed,  it  comes  out,  and  the  mould  is  left  behind. 
The  end  of  a  rule  is  to  bring  the  man  out  from  the 
rule.  Rules  are  like  sepals  around  a  rose  bud  — 
good  to  keep  the  bud  through  its  first  stages ;  but 
when  it  opens,  and  comes  to  the  perfect  flower,  then 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  207 

they  fall  off,  and  are  useless.  The  highest  type  of 
character  is  that  which  is  made  up  of  feelings  so 
luminous  that  the  man  takes  a  more  elevated  path 
than  he  could  ever  do  if  lie  were  bound  down 
to  rules  and  precedents. 


A  MAN'S  strength,  in  this  life,  is  often  greater 
from  some  single  word,  remembered  and  cherished, 
than  in  arms  or  armor.  Looking  over  the  dead  on 
a  field  of  battle,  it  was  easy  to  see  why  that  young 
man,  and  he  a  recruit,  fought  so  valiantly.  Hidden 
under  his  vest  was  a. sweet  face,  done  up  in  gold  ; 
and  so,  through  love's  heroism,  he  fought  with 
double  strokes,  and  danger  mounting  higher,  till  he 
found  honor  in  death.  So,  if  you  carry  the  talis- 
man of  Christ  in  your  heart,  it  will  give  you 
strength  and  courage  in  every  conflict,  and,  at 
death,  open  to  you  the  gates  of  glory. 


LOVING  is  like  music.  Some  instruments  can  go 
up  two  octaves,  some  four,  and  some  all  the  way 
from  black  thunder  to  sharp  lightning.  As  some 
of  them  are  susceptible  only  of  melody,  so  some 
hearts  can  sing  but  one  song  of  love,  while  others 
will  run  in  a  full  choral  harmony. 


208  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

*  IN  commercial  crises,  manlfood  is  at  a  greater 
discount  than  funds  are.  Suppose  a  man  had  saicf 
to  me,  last  spring,  "If  there  comes  a  pinch  in  your 
affairs,  draw  on  me  for  ten  thousand  dollars,"  — 
the  man  said,  so  last  spring,  but  I  should  not  dare 
to  draw  on  him  this  fall.  I  should  say,  "  Times 
have  changed ;  he  would  not  abide  by  it."  But 
God's  promises  are  "  from  everlasting  to  everlast- 
ing," and  he  always  stands  up  to  them.  There 
never  was  a  run  on  heaven  which  was  not  promptly 
•met.  No  creature  in  all  the  world,  or  in  lying,  au- 
dacious hell,  shall  ever  say  that  he  drew  a  draft 
upon  heaven,  and  that  God  dishonored  it. 


How  wonderful  that  Christ  should  love  us !  We 
know  how  to  "love  our  children,  because  they  are 
better  than  we ;  we  know  how  to  love  our  friends, 
because  they  are' no  worse  than  we ;  but  how  Christ 
can  stoop  from  out  the  circle  of  blessed  spirits  to 
love  us,  who  are  begrimed  with  sin,  and  bestormed 
with  temptation,  and  wrestling  with  the  lowest  parts 
of  humanity,  —  that  is  past  our  finding  out.  He 
has  loved  us  from  the  foundation  of  the  world ;  and 
because  heaven  was  to.o  far  away  for  us  to  see,  he 
came  down  to  earth  to  do  the  things  which  he  has 

*  From  a  sermon  'on  the  financial  crisis,  October,  1857. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  209 

always  been  doing  profusely  above.  Christ's  life  on 
earth  was  not  an  official  mission ;  it  was  a  develop- 
ment of  his  everlasting  state ;  a  dip  to  bring  with- 
in our  horizon  those  characteristics  and  attributes 
which  otherwise  we  could  not  comprehend  ;  —  God's 
pilgrimage  on  earth  as  a  shepherd,  in  search  of  his 
wolf-imperilled  fold.  And  when  I  look  into  his 
life,  I  say  to  myself,  "  As  tender  as  this,  and  yet  on 
earth  ?  What  is  he  now,  then  ?  If  he  was  such 
when  imprisoned  in  the  flesh,  what  is  he  now  in  the 
full  liberty  and  largeness  of  his  heavenly  state  ? " 


How  hateful  is  that  religion  which  says,  "  Busi- 
ness is  business,  and  politics  are  politics,  and  religion 
is  religion  " !  Religion  is  using  every  thing  for  God  ; 
but  many  men  dedicate  business  to  the  devil,  and 
politics  to  the  devil,  and  shove  religion  into  the 
cracks  and  crevices  of  time,  and  make  it  the  hypo- 
critical outcrawling  of  their  leisure  and  laziness. 


As  sometimes,  when  we  go  to  our  work  in  sum- 
mer, we  are  annoyed  by  swarms  of  insects  that  fill 
the  air  with  murmurous  buzz,  and  trouble  the 
eye  and  the  ear,  and  offend  every  sense,  so  there 
are  some  passages  in  the  Bible  so  infested  by  com- 
18* 


210  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

mentators,  by  controversialists,  and  theologians,  and 
curious  Christians,  that  one  cannot  approach  them 
except  through  a  swarm  of  buzzing  associations 
which  distract  the  reason,  and  pervert  the  judg- 
ment, and  take  away  all  the  heart  enjoyment  which 
they  were  meant  to  give.  The  only  way  to  get  at 
the  truth  is  to  strip  them  of  all  foregone  knowl- 
edges. Among  these  passages  is  the  eighth  chapter 
of  Romans,  which  one  would  think  was  a  grindstone 
on  which  all  men  sharpened  their  wits,  and  brought 
their  theories  to  an  edge  and  a  point.  Do  not  read 
this  chapter  with  commentaries;  if  you  do,  they 
will  raise  such  a  dust  that  you  cannot  see  a  foot 
before  you.  It  is  going  over  Jordan  into  the  prom- 
ised land  to  read  this  chapter  as  it  was  intended 
to  be  read.  I  could  walk  over  it  dry-shod,  as  the 
Israelites  did  over  the  Red  Sea.  It  is  only  those 
who  are  wise  in  their  head,  and  poverty-stricken  in 
their  heart,  upon  whom  the  waves  of  difficulty  re- 
turn on  either  side.  It  was  meant  to  open  up  the 
regality  of  God's  nature,  and  to  show  his  bounteous 
love  and  tenderness  towards  those  "  who  are  the 
called  according  to  his  purpose  "  —  that  is,  who  love 
him. 

THE  boy  holds  his  ball  of  twine  in  his  hand,  and 
thinks  it  is  not  much,  he  can  clasp  it  so  easily  ;  but 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  211 

when  he  begins  to  unroll  it,  and  his  wind-borne 
kite  mounts  higher  and  higher,  till,  at  length,  that 
which,  on  the  ground,  was  taller  than  he,  is  now  no 
bigger  than  his  hand,  he  is  astonished  to  see  how 
long  it  is.  So  there  are  little  texts  which  look 
small  in  your  palm,  but  when  caught  up  upon  some 
experience,  they  unfold  themselves,  and  stretch  out 
until  there  is  no  measuring  their  length. 


I  HAVE  always  been  much  affected  by  Christ's 
reply  to  the  Syro-Phcenician  woman,  when  she 
begged  him  to  cast  the  devil  out  of  her  daughter. 
If  I  saw  the  poorest  child  in  the  street  falling  down 
in  convulsions,  and  agonized  and  distorted  with 
pain,  and  it  were  in  my  power  to  restore  her,  how 
gladly  would  I  go  to  her,  and  raise  her  up,  and 
bring  her  back  to  health  and  joy  !  Now,  how  little 
is  my  willingness,  compared  to  Christ's  !  for  what  in 
me  is  one  little  pulsation,  in  him  is  the  tide  of  the 
universe.  His  heart  went  out  towards  the  poor 
suppliant  with  infinite  yearning  and  tenderness. 
He  longed,  and  meant,  to  grant  her  request,  and 
yet  he  stops  to  parley  with  her :  "It  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  unto  the 
dogs."  I  hardly  know  how  to  express  this  delay- 
ing of  mercy  in  God  —  this  sublime  playfulness,  is 


212  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

it  ?  —  this  coyness,  is  not  that  the  word  ?  or  is  it  a 
certain  holding  back,  as  one  draws  the  bow  back 
when  he  means  to  send  the  shaft  yet  farther  ? 

The  apostle  speaks  of  things  which  are  not,  as 
bringing  to  nought  things  that  are ;  and  so  many 
of  Christ's  silences  impress  me  full  as  much  as  his 
sayings ;  his  rests  and  not-doings  seem  even  more 
significant,  at  times,  than  that  which  was  overt. 
That  which  he  said  was  what  could  be  expressed 
and  received  by  the  mind ;  but  when,  pausing,  he 
said,  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but 
ye  cannot  bear  them  now,"  my  imagination  is  in- 
flamed as  with  the  idea  of  an  upper  sphere  too  vast 
for  words  or  interpretation. 


MANY  Christians  are  like  chestnuts  —  very  pleas- 
ant nuts,  but  enclosed  in  very  prickly  burs,  which 
need  various  dealings  of  Nature,  and  her  grip  of 
frost,  before  the  kernel  is  disclosed. 


IN  moist  and  liberal  summers,  the  wheat  is  often 
covered  with  fungi  and  parasitic  plants  ;  and  it  has 
to  be  put  through  smutting  machines,  that  it  may 
be  cleansed,  and  made  ready  for  grinding  into  flour. 
So  men,  in  prosperity,  often  have  fungi  and  parasitic 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  218 

plants  growing  on  almost  every  faculty  ;  and  then, 
to  purify  them,  God  puts  them  through  trials  which 
are  like  smutting  machines  to  the  wheat.  The  best 
thing  which  can  happen  to  such  men  is  a  trouble 
that  will  bolt  them. 


As  a  general  rule,  self-contemplation  is  a  power 
towards  mischief.  The  only  way  to  grow  is  to  look 
out  of  one's  self.  There  is  too  much  introversion 
among  Christians.  A  shipmaster  might  as  well 
look  down  into  the  hold  of  his  ship  for  the  north 
star,  as  a  Christian  look  down  into  his  own  heart 
for  the  sun  of  righteousness.  Out  and  beyond  is 
the  shining. 

As  I  grow  older,  and  come  nearer  to  death,  I  look 
upon  it  more  and  more  with  complacent  joy,  and 
out  of  every  longing  I  hear  God  say,  "  0  thirsting, 
hungering  one,  come  to  me."  What  the  other  life 
will  bring  I  know  not,  only  that  I  shall  awake  in 
God's  likeness,  and  see  him  as  he  is.  If  a  child  had 
been  born  and  spent  all  his  life  in  the  Mammoth 
Cave,  how  impossible  would  it  be  for  him  to  com- 
prehend the  upper  world !  His  parents  might  tell 
him  of  its  life,  and  light,  and  beauty,  and  its  sounds 
of  joy ;  they  might  heap  up  the  sand  into  mounds, 
and  try  to  show  him  by  pointing  to  stalactites  how 


214  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

grass,  and  flowers,  and  trees  grow  out  of  the  ground, 
till  at  length,  with  laborious  thinking,  the  child 
would  fancy  he  had  gained  a  true. idea  of  the  un- 
known land.  And  yet,  though  he  longed  to  behold 
it,  when  the  day.  came  that  he  was  to  go  forth,  it 
would  be  with  regret  for  the  familiar  crystals,  and 
the  rock-hewn  rooms,  and  the  quiet  that  reigned 
therein.  But  when  he  came  up,  some  May  morn- 
ing, with  ten  thousand  birds  singing  in  the  trees, 
and  the  heavens  bright,  and  blue,  and  full  of  sun- 
light, and  the  wind  blowing  softly  through  the  young 
leaves,  all  a-glitter  with  dew,  and  the  landscape 
stretching  away  green  and  beautiful  to  the  horizon, 
with  what  rapture  would  he  gaze  about  him,  and 
see  how  poor  were  all  the  fancyings  and  the  inter- 
pretations which  were  made  within  the  cave,  of  the 
things  which  grew  and  lived  without ;  and  how 
would  he  wonder  that  he  could  have  regretted  to 
leave  the  silence  and  the  dreary  darkness  of  his  old 
abode !  So,  when  we  emerge  from  this  cave  of 
earth  into  that  land  where  spring  growths  are,  and 
where  is  summer,  and  not  that  miserable  travestie 
which  we  call  summer  here,  how  shall  we  wonder 
that  we  could  have  clung  so  fondly  to  this  dark  and 
barren  life  ! 

Beat  on,  then,  0  heart,  and  yearn  for  dying.     I 
have  drunk  at  many  a  fountain,  but  thirst  came 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  215 

again ;  I  have  fed  at  many  a  bounteous  table,  but 
hunger  returned  ;  I  have  seen  many  bright  and 
lovely  things,  but,  while  I  gazed,  their  lustre  faded. 
There  is  nothing  here  that  can  give  me  rest ;  but 
when  I  behold  thee,  0  God,  I  shall  be  satisfied  ! 


IT  is  a  joy  to  me  to  know  that  the  Christians 
within  the  communion  of  this  church  are*  not  all 
the  Christians  to  be  found  in  the  congregation. 
We  are  richer  than  we  appear  to  be.  Here  are 
growing  pear  trees,  apple  trees,  cherry  trees,  and 
shrubs,  and  blossoming  vines,  and  flowers  of  every 
hue  and  odor ;  but  I  am  glad  that  some  seeds  have 
been  blown  over  the  wall,  and  that  fruit  trees  and 
flowers  most  pleasant  to  the  eye  are  springing 
up  there  also.  And  though  I  wish  they  were  with- 
in the  enclosure,  where  the  boar  out  of  the  wood 
could  not  waste  them,  and  the  wild  beast  of  the 
field  devour  them,  yet  I  love  them,  and  am  glad 
to  see  them  growing  there.  To  all  such  I  say, 
God  nourish  and  protect  you,  and  bring  you,  with 
us,  to  the  garden  above. 


A  MAN  may  look  over  an  artist  at  his  work,  and 
see  that  he  makes  bad  strokes,  but  yet  shall  see 


216  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

that  he  is  to  be  a  good  artist.  The  sense  of  his 
purpose  is  not  marred  by  his  imperfect  execution. 
So  a  Christian  may  have  an  irritable  temper,  or  be  a 
proud  man,  and  yet  may  live  so  that  the  impression 
is  produced  that  he  is  trying  to  regulate  his  interior 
nature  by  the  law  of  Christ.  He  is  a  Christian 
who  is  manfully  struggling  to  live  a  Christian's  life. 


REASON  can  tell  how  love  affects  us,  but  cannot 
tell  what  love  is. 

DID  you  ever  sit  in  a  half-cleared  forest,  in  a 
summer's  day,  and,  looking  up,  see  the  light  come 
fleckering  down  in  uncounted  shades  of  golden  brown 
and  greenish  gold,  and  these  all  the  while  changing 
and  running  into  each  other  with  the  rustling  leaves 
and  the  cloud-crossed  sun  ?  How  useless  to  attempt 
to  chronicle  this  play  and  interplay  of  light  and 
dark !  yet  this  would  be  simple  and  easy,  compared 
with  the  effort  to  note  the  number  and  variety  of 
our  thoughts  and  feelings  for  a  single  hour.  If  the 
flow  of  a  day's  mind  and  heart  experiences  were 
written,  it  would  be  a  volume,  and  one's  life  a  Bod- 
leian library  ;  but  the  "  book  of  remembrance  "  is 
yonder,  and  the  life  is  daguerreotyped  on  the  sensi- 
tive pages  of  the  future. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  217 

As  ships  meet  at  sea,  a  moment  together,  when 
words  of  greeting  must  be  spoken,  and  then  away 
upon  the  deep,  so  men  meet  in  this  world  ;  and 
I  think  we  should  cross  no  man's  path  without 
hailing  him,  and,  if  he  needs,  giving  him  supplies. 


THREE  natural  philosophers  go  out  into  the  forest 
and  find  a  nightingale's  nest,  and  forthwith  they 
begin  to  discuss  the  habits  of  the  bird,  its  size,  its 
color,  and  the  number  of  eggs  it  lays  ;  and  one  pulls 
out  of  his  pocket  a  treatise  of  Buffon,  and  another 
of  Cuvier,  and  another  of  Audubon,  and  they  read 
and  dispute  till  at  length  the  quarrel  runs  so  high 
over  the  empty  nest,  that  they  tear  each  other's 
leaves,  and  get  red  in  the  face,  and  the  woods  ring 
with  their  conflict;  when,  lo!  out  of  the  green 
shade  of  a  neighboring  thicket,  the  bird  itself, 
rested,  and  disturbed  by  these  side  noises,  begins  to 
sing.  At  first  its  song  is  soft  and  low,  and  then  it 
rises  and  swells,  and  waves  of  melody  float  up  over 
the  trees,  and  fill  the  air  with  tremulous  music,  and 
all  the  forest  doth  hush  ;  and  the  entranced  philos- 
ophers, subdued  and  ashamed  of  their  quarrel,  shut 
their  books  and  walk  home  without  a  word. 

So  men  who  around  the  empty  sepulchre  of  Christ 
have  wrangled  about  the  forms  of  religion,  about 
19 


218  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

creeds,  and  doctrines,  and  ordinances,  when  Christ 
himself,  disturbed  by  their  discords,  sings  to  them, 
out  of  heaven,  of  love,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  are  ashamed  of  their  conflicts,  and  go 
quietly  and  meekly  to  their  duties. 


THERE  are  some  men  who  are  so  outrageously 
cultivated,  that  they  are  miserable  the  moment  they 
are  away  from  all  which  is  exquisite.  It  is  a  pity 
that  such  men  were  born  into  a  rough  world  like 
this,  where  God  forgot  to  finish  up  rocks,  and  to 
make  tree-trunks  smooth,  and  to  slope  the  moun- 
tains down  gently  to  the  plains.  That  is  true  culti- 
vation which  gives  us  sympathy  with  every  form  of 
human  life,  and  enables  us  to  work  most  success- 
fully for  its  advancement.  Refinement  that  carries 
iis  away  from  our  fellow-men  is  not  God's  refinement- 


IP  a  boy  is  not  trained  to  endure  and  to  beat 
trouble,  he  will  grow  up  a  girl ;  and  a  boy  that  is  a 
girl  has  all  a  girl's  weakness  without  any  of  her 
regal  qualities.  A  woman  made  out  of  a  woman  is 
God's  noblest  work  ;  a  woman  made  out  of  a  man 
is  his  meanest.  A  child  rightly  brought  up  will  be 
like  a  willow  branch,  which,  broken  off  and  touching 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  219 

the  ground,  at  once  takes  root.  Bring  up  your 
children  so  that  they  will  root  easily  in  their  own 
soil,  and  not  forever  be  grafted  into  your  old  trunk 
and  boughs. 

As*  in  freshets  on  western  rivers,  sticks  of  timber 
and  broken  branches  are  borne  down  the  flood  and 
lodged  in  the  boughs  of  trees,  where  they  remain 
for  years,  lifted  far  up  above  the  ground,  dry  and 
helpless,  so,  in  revival  freshets,  men  are  some- 
times caught  in  the  boughs  of  this  or  that  church, 
and  stay  merely  because  they  are  lodged  there  ;  and 
men^  passing  by  afterwards,  and  seeing  dry  logs 
strangely  perched  in  so  uncouth  a  way,  wonder 
what  force  of  water  ever  bore  such  worthless  stuff 
so  high. 

A  CHRISTIAN  merchant  should  so  act  that  his  cus- 
tomers shall  see  and  know  that  he  is  a  Christian  ; 
not  merely  that  he  conducts  his  business  on  great 
maxims  of  honesty,  but  that  business  itself  is  sub- 
ordinate and  instrumental  to  the  great  purposes  of 
life.  Is  it  so  with  you  ?  How  far  does  the  differ- 
ence between  you  and  the  worldly  man  lie  in  the 
fact,  that  on  the  seventh  day  you  have  a  little  tab- 
ernacle of  religious  experience  into  which  you  run  ? 
Go  through  the  streets  and  stores  of  New  York ; 


220  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

you  can  pick  out  the  men  that  are  wealthy  ;  can  you 
pick  out  the  men  that  are  Christians  ?  What  won- 
der that  truth  makes  such  slow  advances  in  the 
world,  with  one  Christian  to  tell  what  is  true  for 
two  hours  on  Sunday,  and  hundreds  to  deny  it  all 
the  week  by  their  lives  ! 


MANY  men  are  lamenting  their  misfortunes,  and 
wishing  that  their  place  was  changed  that  they 
might  the  more  easily  live  Christianly.  If  a  man 
cannot  be  a  Christian  in  the  place  where  he  is,  he 
cannot  be  a  Christian  any  where. 


IF  I  could  not  send  a  man  among  the  mountains, 
or  through  the  valleys,  or  by  the  side  of  streams,  I 
would  shut  him  up  in  the  resounding  recesses  of  the 
Old  Testament.  There  is  more  loving  description 
of  nature  in  .the  Psalms  alone,  than  in  all  Greek 
and* Roman  literature.  Yet  the  Bible  has  been 
used  so  unfairly,  and  a  truckling  priesthood  have 
drawn  from  it  such  base  arguments,  that  men  of 
free  and  generous  natures  have  been  repelled  by  it, 
and  have  gone  away  with  the  wings  of  literature 
and  the  feet  of  science  to  find  God  in  the  great 
realm  of  nature.  In  those  sciences  which  might 


LIFE     THOU  CUTS.  221 

be  called  the  light  infantry  of  progress,  the  Zouaves 
of  thought,  that  are  skirmishing  in  the  valleys,  and 
hanging  along  the  hills,  and  sending  vanguards 
against  the  enemy,  there  is  much  infidelity. 

I,  too,  will  go  out  and  read  God  in  the  strata  ;  I, 
too,  through  the  stars  will  hear  the  chiming  of  the 
spheres ;  I  will  be  behind  none  in  enjoying  the 
sweet  perfume  of  flowers ;  but  when  I  do  all  this,  I 
will  remember  that  the  Bible  is  the  beacon  fire  at 
which  I  have  lighted  the  torch  that  has  guided  me 
to  this  knowledge  and  these  delights. 


A  CONSERVATIVE  young  man  has  wound  up  his 
life  before  it  was  unreeled.  We  expect  old  men  to 
be  conservative,  but  when  a  nation's  young  men  are 
so,  its  funeral  bell  is  already  rung. 


WHERE  is  there  a  reason  strong  enough  to  fly  up 
and  pluck  the  secret  out  of  the  bosom  of  God,  which 
it  has  not  pleased  his  tongue  to  make  known  ?  I 
accept  the  fact,  the  simple  fact,  the  august,  solemn 
fact,  that  it  was  necessary  for  Christ  to  suffer ;  the 
theological  explanations  I  do  not  believe  a  word  in. 

Those  who  say  that  Christ's  sufferings  were  not 
vicarious,  will  have  to  fight,  not  only  with  the  Bible, 
19* 


222  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

but  with  all  the  weight  of  human  life.  Suffering,  in 
human  life,  is  very  widely  vicarious.  Every  man  feels 
this  in  himself,  one  part  of  his  being  paying  anoth- 
er's penalty.  If  lie  loves  overmuch,  it  is  not  love 
that  suffers,  but  conscientiousness.  If  his  passions 
are  unduly  excited,  it  is  his  moral  nature  that  feels 
the  transgression.  If  the  brain  be  overwrought^ 
the  body  feels  it.  The  first  lesson  of  life  is  one  of 
vicarious  suffering.  As  we  go  to  the  ship  to  see 
friends  depart,  and  leave  them  with  cheers,  and 
benedictions,  and  wafted  kisses,  so  when  a  young 
spirit  is  about  to  be  launched  into  this  earthly  life, 
one  would  think  that  troops  of  angels  would  attend 
it,  and  witn  hope  and  gladness  see  it  on  its  way. 
But  no.  Silently  it  passes  the  bounds  of  the  unseen 
land,  and  the  gate  which  opens  to  admit  it  to  this; 
is  a  gate  of  tears  and  moans.  Through  the  sorrow 
of  another  is  it  ushered  into  existence.  Love  can- 
not clasp  all  it  yearns  for,  in  its  bosom,  without 
first  suffering  for  it.  The  child  lives  upon  its  par- 
ents' life.  The  child  which  has  no  one  to  suffer 
for  it  is  a  miserable  wretch.  And,  from  this  point 
onward,  in  every  relation  of  life,  one  man  suffers 
for  another's  benefit.  It  is  the  law  of  social  life, 
and  I  do  not  see  why  we  should  think  it  strange 
that  Christ  obeyed  the,  same  law,  only  in  a  grander 
way. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  223 

CONSECRATION  is  not  wrapping  one's  self  in  a  holy 
web  in  the  sanctuary,  and  then  coming  forth  after 
prayer  and  twilight  meditation,  and  saying,  "There, 
I  am  consecrated."  Consecration  is  going  out  into 
the  world  where  God  Almighty  is,  and  using  every 
power  for  his  glory.  It  is  taking  all  advantages  as 
trust  funds  —  as  confidential  debts  owed  to  God. 
It  is  simply  dedicating  one's  life,  in  its  whole  flow, 
to  God's  service. 


THERE  is  nothing  which  the  world  resents  so  much 
as  an  attempt  to  carry  out  a  better  measure  than 
existed  before.  A  man  who  would  benefit  the 
world  must  take  leave  of  his  own  reputation  first; 
for  the  world  never  let  a  man  bless  it  but  it  first 
fought  him  ;  it  never  let  him  give  it  a  boon  without 
first  giving  him  a  buffet.  If  with  one  effort  you 
should  raise  a  tree  twenty  feet  high,  so  as  to  make 
it  forty  feet  high,  you  would  not  do  more  violence 
to  its  roots  than  you  do  to  society,  when  you  at- 
tempt suddenly  to  elevate  it  above  its  former  level. 
If  there  were  a  hundred  violins  together,  all  play- 
ing below  concert  pitch,  and  I  should  take  a  real 
Cremona,  and  with  the  hand  of  a  Paganini  should 
bring  it  strongly  up  to  the  true  key,  and  then  should 
sweep  my  bow  across  it  like  a  storm,  and  make  it 
sound  forth  clear  and  resonant,  what  a  demoniac 


224  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

jargon  would  the  rest  of  the  playing  seem  !  Yet 
the  other  musicians  would  be  enraged  at  me.  They 
would  think  all  the  discord  was  mine,  and  I  should 
be  to  them  a  demoniac.  So  it  is  with  reformers. 
The  world  thinks  the  discord  is -with  them,  and  not 
in  its  own  false  playing.  All  those  rosy  philoso- 
phers who  go  dancing  along  the  ways  of  life,  and 
expect  to  reform  men  through  ease  and  pleasure,  and 
are  surprised  when  at  first  snow  flakes  are  thrown 
at  them,  and  then  icicles,  and  then  avalanches,  had 
better  fold  their  gauzy  wings  at  once.  They  are 
not  wanted.  They  are  not  of  that  heroic  race 
who  advance  the  world. 


HEART  knowledge,  through  God's  teaching,  is 
true  wealth,  and  they  are  often  poorest  who  deem 
themselves  most  rich.  I,  in  the  pulpit,  preach  with 

loud  words  to  many  a  humble  widow  and  stricken 

• 

man  wrho  might  well  teach  me.  The  student,  specta- 
cled and  gray  with  wisdom,  and  stuffed  with  lumbered 
lore,  may  be  childish  and  ignorant  beside  some  old 
singing  saint  who  carries  the  wood  into  his  study, 
and  who,  with  the  lens  of  his  own  experience,  brings 
down  the  orbs  of  truth,  and  beholds,  through  his 
faith  and  his  humility,  things  of  which  the  white- 
haired  scholar  never  dreamed. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  225 

-CHRIST  took  the  part  of  religion  against  religious 
institutions  ;  of  religious  feeling  against  religious 
usages,  which  are  often  venerable,  in  proportion 
as  they  are  nothing  else.  God's  law  of  love,  which 
the  Jews  had  made  stone,  was  smitten  by  Christ, 
and  made  to  gush  with  water  for  the  poor  that  lay 
athirst  and  gasping  in  the  dust. 


No  matter  how  infidel  philosophers  may  regard 
the  Bible ;  they  may  say  that  Genesis  is  awry,  and 
that  the  Psalms  are  more  than  half  bitter  impreca- 
tions, and  the  Prophecies  only  the  fantasies  t>f  brain- 
bewildered  men,  and  the  Gospels  weak  laudations 
of  an  impostor,  and  the  Epistles  but  the  letters  of  a 
mad  Jew,  and  that  the  whole  book  has  had  its  day  ; 
I  shall  cling  to  it  until  they  show  me  a  better  reve- 
lation. The  Bible  emptied,  effete,  worn  out!  If 
all  the  wisest  men  of  the  world  were  placed  man  to 
man,  they  could  not  sound  the  shallowest  depth  of 
the  Gospel  of  John.  0  philosophers  !  break  the 
shell,  and  fly  out,  and  let  me  hear  how  you  can 
sing.  Not  of  passion  —  I  know  that  already;  not 
of  worldly  power  —  I  hear  that  every  where  ;  but 
teach  me,  through  your  song,  how  to  find  joy  in  sor- 
row, strength  in  weakness,  and  light  in  darkest 
days  ;  how  to  bear  buffeting  and  scorn,  how  to  wel- 


226  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

come  death,  and  to  pass  through  its  ministration 
into  the  sphere  of  life  ;  and  this,  not  for  me  only, 
but  for  the  whole  world  that  groans  and  travails  in 
pain  ;  and  until  you  can  do  this,  speak  not  to  me 
of  a  better  revelation. 


THE  great  ocean  is  in  a  constant  state  of  evapo- 
ration. It  gives  back  what  it  receives,  and  sends 
up  its  waters  in  mists  to  gather  into  clouds  ;  and  so 
there  is  rain  on  the  fields,  and  storm  on  the  moun- 
tains, and  greenness  and  beauty  every  where.  But 
there  art  many  men  who  do  not  believe  in  evapora- 
tion. They  get  all  they  can  and  keep  all  they  get, 
and  so  are  not  fertilizers,  but  only  stagnant,  mias- 
matic pools. 

AN  acorn  is  not  an  oak  tree  when  it  is  sprouted. 
It  must  go  through  long  summers  and  fierce  win- 
ters ;  it  has  to  endure  all  that  frost,  and  snow,  and 
thunder,  and  storm,  and  side-striking  winds  can 
bring,  before  it  is  a  full-grown  oak.  These  are 
rough  teachers  ;  but,  rugged  schoolmasters  make 
rugged  pupils.  So  a  man  is  not  a  man  when  he  is 
created  —  he  is  only  begun.  His  manhood  must 
come  with  years.  A  man  who  goes  through  life 
prosperous,  and  comes  to  his  grave  without  a  wrinkle, 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  227 

is  not  half  a  man.  In  time  of  war,  whom  does  the 
general  select  for  some  hazardous  enterprise  ?  He 
looks  over  his  men,  and  chooses  the  soldier  whom 
he  knows  will  not  flinch  at  danger,  but  will  go 
bravely  through  whatever  is  allotted  to  him.  He 
calls  him  that  he  may  receive  his  orders,  and  the 
officer,  blushing  with  pleasure  to  be  thus  chosen, 
hastens  away  to  execute  them.  Difficulties  are 
God's  errands.  And  when  we  are  sent  upon  them 
we  should  esteem  it  a  proof  of  God's  confidence  — 
as  a  compliment  from  God.  The  traveller  who  goes 
round  the  world  prepares  himself  to  pass  through 
all  latitudes,  and  to  meet  all  changes.  So  a  man 
must  be  willing  to  take  life  as  it  comes ;  to  mount 
the  hill  when  the  hill  swells,  and  to  go  down  the 
hill  when  the  hill  lowers ;  to  walk  the  plain  when 
it  stretches  before  him,  and  to  ford  the  river  when 
it  rolls  over  the  plain.  "  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.?> 


THERE  is  no  harder  shield  for  the  devil  to  pierce 
with  temptation  than  singing  with  prayer. 


IP  the  architect  of  a  house  had  one  plan,  and  the 
contractor  had  another,  what  conflicts  would  there 


228  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

be !  How  many  walls  would  have  to  come  down, 
how  many  doors  and  windows  would  need  to  be 
altered,  before  the  two  could  harmonize !  Of  the 
building  of  life,  God  is  the  Architect,  and  man  is 
the  contractor.  God  has  one  plan,  and  man  has 
another.  Is  it  strange  that  there  are  clashings  and 
collisions  ? 

THINKING  is  creating,  with  Go.d,  as  thinking  is 
writing,  with  the  ready  writer ;  and  worlds  are  only 
leaves  turned  over  in  the  process  of  composition, 
about  his  throne. 

OUR  sweetest  experiences  of  affection  are  meant 
to  be  suggestions  of  that  realm  which  is  the  home 
of  the  heart. 

RELIGION,  in  one  sense,  is  a  life  of  self-denial,  jus*- 
as  husbandry,  in  one  sense,  is  a  work  of  death- 
You  go  and  bury  a  seed,  and  that  is  husbandry ; 
but  you  bury  one  that  you  may  reap  a  hundred  fold- 
Self-denial  doos  not  belong  to  religion  as  character 
istic  of  it ;  it  belongs  to  human  life.  The  lower 
nature  must  always  be  denied  when  you  are  trying 
to  rise  to  a  higher  sphere.  It  is  no  more  necessary 
to  be  self-denying  to  be  a  Christian,  than  it  is  to  be 
an  artist,  or  to  be  an  honest  man,  or  to  be  a  man  at 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  229 

all,  in  distinction  from  a  brute.  Of  all  joyful,  smil- 
ing, ever-laughing  experiences,  there  are  none  like 
those  which  spring  from  true  religion.  "  When  the 
Lord  turned  again  the  captivity  of  Zion,  then  was 
our  mouth  filled  with  laughter." 


THE  apostle  says,  "  Now  unto  Him  that  is  able  to 
do  exceeding  abundantly,  above  all  that  we  can  ask 
or  think."  What  a  vision  he  must  have  had  !  How 
grandly  in  that  moment  did  the  divine  thought  rise 
before  his  enrapt  mind  when  he  so  linked  words 
together — joining  golden  word  to  golden  word,  as 
if  he  fain  would  encompass  it  with  a  chain,  seeking 
by  combinations  to  express  what  no  one  word  could 
embody !  "  Above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think !  " 
How  much  can  a  man  ask  or  think  ?  When  the 
deepest  convictions  of  sin  are  upon  him,  in  his  hour 
of  dark  despondency,  in  some  perilous  pass  of  life, 
when  fears  come  upon  his  soul  as  storms  on  the 
Lake  Galilee,  consider  how  much  a  man  then  asks  ! 
Or  when  love  swells  in  his  soul,  and  makes  life  as 
full  as  mountains  make  the  streams  in  spring,  and 
hope  is  the  sun  by  day  and  the  moon  by  night,  —  in 
those  gloriously  elate  hours  when  he  seems  no  longer 
fixed  to  space  and  time,  but,  mounting  as  if  the 
body  were  forgotten  by  the  soul,  wings  his  way 
20 


230  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

through  the  realm  of  aspiration  and  conception, 
consider  how  much  a  man  then  thinks  !  All  books 
are  dry  and  tame  compared  with  the  great  unwrit- 
ten book  uttered  in  the  closet.  The  prayers  of  ex- 
iles, of  martyrs,  of  missionaries,  of  the  Waldenses, 
of  the  Covenanters,  of  mothers  for  children  gone 
astray,  when  with  plash  of  tears,  and  yearnings  that 
can  find  no  speech,  they  implore  God's  mercy  upon 
them,  —  if  some  angel,  catching  them  as  they  were 
uttefedj  should  drop  them  down  from  heaven,  what 
a  liturgy  would  they  make  !  What  epic  can  equal 
those  unwritten  words  which  pour  into  the  ear  of 
God  out  of  the  heart's  fulness !  still  more,  those 
unspoken  words  which  never  find  the  lip,  but  go  up 
to  heaven  in  unutterable  longings  and  aspirations ! 
Words  are  but  the  bannerets  of  a  great  army,  a  few 
bits  of  waving  color  here  and  there  ;  thoughts  are  the 
main  body  of  the  footmen  that  march  unseen  below. 
Words  cannot  follow  thoughts  and  feelings  even  in 
their  tamer  nights,  still  less  when  they  take  wings 
and  soar  towards  God.  Every  day,  from  my  win- 
dow, I  see  the  gulls  making  circuits  and  beating 
against  the  north  wind.  Now  they  mount  high 
above  the  masts  of  vessels  in  the  stream,  and  then 
suddenly  drop  to  the  water's  edge,  seeking  to  find 
some  eddy  unobstructed  by  the  steady-blowing  blast ; 
till,  at  length,  abandoning  their  efforts,  they  turn 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  231 

and  fly  with  the  wind  ;  and  then  how  like  a  gleam 
of  light  do  their  white  wings  flash  down  the  bay 
faster  than  eye  can  follow !  So,  when  we  cease  to 
resist  God's  divine  influences,  and,  turning  towards 
him,  our  thoughts  and  feelings  are  upborne  by  the 
breath  of  his  spirit,  how  do  they  make  such  swift 
heavenward  flight  as  no  words  can  overtake  ! 

Yet,  wonderful  as  are  the  desires  and  thoughts 
of  the  soul,  the  apostle's  measurement  is  more  than 
these  ;  for  he  says,  "  Now  unto*Him  that  is  able  to 
do  exceeding  abundantly,  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think  !  "  Truly  his  riches  are  unsearchable. 

If  we  dwelt  more  upon  God's  fulness,  and  his 
desire  to  make  us  partakers  of  it,  our  Christian 
character  would  be  richer.  God  never  reveals 
himself  to  us  as  a  distant,  glimmering  light.  Of 
all  stars  he  calls  himself  "  the  bright  and  morning 
star"  -the  star  that  lingers  longest  in  the  sky, 
and  swims  and  glorifies  an  avant  courier  of  the 
sun,  as  John  the  Baptist  did  in  the  rising  splendor 
of  Christ.  Many  people  get  a  wrong  idea  of  God 
by  thinking  of  him  as  infinite  only  in  justice  and 
power ;  but  infinite  applies  to  the  feelings  of  God, 
as  much  as  to  the  stretch  of  his'right  hand.  There 
is  nothing  in  his  nature  which  is  not  measureless. 
Many  think  God  sits  brooding  in  heaven,  as  storms 
brood  in  summer  skies,  full  of  bolts  and  rain,  and 


232  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

believe  that  they  must  come  to  him  under  the  covert 
of  some  apology,  or  beneath  some  umbrellaed  ex- 
cuse, lest  the  clouds  should  break,  and  the  tempest 
overwhelm  them.  But  when  men  repent  towards 
God,  they  go  not  to  storms,  but  to  serene  and  tran- 
quil .  skies,  and  to  a  Father  who  waits  to  receive 
them  with  all  tenderness,  and  delicacy,  and  love. 
His  eye  is  not  dark  with  vengeance,  nor  his  heart 
turbulent  with  wrath  ;  and  to  repent  towards  his  jus- 
tice and  vindictiveness  must  always  be  from  a  lower 
motive  than  to  repent  towards  his  generosity  and  love. 
This  view  of  God's  plenitude,  habitually  taken, 
will  deliver  us  from  unworthy  fears,  and  enable  us 
with  confidence  to  approach  his  throne.  It  will 
give  us  hope  of  rectitude  in  life,  and  of  glorification 
in  heaven ;  not  because  of  our  feeble  longing,  but 
because  of  God's  infinite  desire  for  us.  When  stars, 
first  created,  start  forth  upon  their  vast  circuits,  not 
knowing  their  way,  if  they  were  conscious  and  sen- 
tient, they  might  feel  hopeless  of  maintaining  their 
revolutions  and  orbits,  and  despair  in  the  face  of 
coming  ages.  But,  without  hands  or  arms,  the  sun 
holds  them.  Without  cords  or  bands  the  solar  king 
drives  them  unharnessed  on  their  mighty  rounds 
without  a  single  misstep,  and  will  bring  them,  in 
the  end,  to  their  bound  without  a  wanderer.  Now, 
if  the  sun  can  do  this,  the  sun,  which  is  but  a  thing, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS. 


itself  driven  and  held,  shall  not  He  who  created  the 
heavens,  and  gave  the  sun  his  power,  be  able  to  hold 
us  by  the  attraction  of  his  heart,  the  strength  of  his 
hands,  and  the  omnipotence  of  his  affectionate  will  ? 
But  some  will  say,  "  Such  views  will  lead  to  Uni- 
versalism."    Does  Matthew  teach  this  ?    Does  Mark, 
or  Luke,  or  John  teach  it  ?     Do  they  say,  "  To  be 
sure  God  is  a  God  of  love,  but  take  care  that  you 
do  not  presume  upon  it?"     No.     The  first,  and 
second,  and  third  view  of  God  is  love.     Justice  is 
alternative.     He  has  conscience  and  integrity,  and. 
he  must  preserve  the  rectitude  of  his  kingdom  ;  but 
love  is  his  abiding  place.     When  men  were  almost 
animals,  fear  was  employed  to  bring  them  to  God  ; 
but  when  they  were  driven  a  certain  way  towards 
right,  then  God  sent  higher  influences  to  act  upon 
them.     He  gave  his  Son  to  die  for  the  world  ;  and 
a  thousand  men  will  be  drawn  by  Calvary,  where 
one  will   approach   through  the  terrors  of  Sinai. 
The  New  Testament  opens  with,  "  Peace  on  earth, 
good  will  to  men  ;  "  and  these  were  the  last  words 
that  rung,  through  the  air  before  the  vision  faded: 
"  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come  ;  and  let 
him  that  heareth  say,  Come  ;  and  let  him  that  is 
athirst   come  ;   and  whosoever  will,  let  him  come 
and  drink  of  the  water  of  life  freely  ;  "  and  all  be- 
tween these  two  magnificent  notes  rolls  the  anthem 
20* 


234  LIFE    THOUGJITS. 

of  God's  mercy.  "  Wliosoever  ivill  I  "  That  is  the 
beginning  and  the  ending.  Let  every  Christian 
heart  respond  in  those  final  and  sublimest  words  of 
revelation,  "  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus  !  " 


FLOWERS  are  the  sweetest  things  that  God  ever 
made,  and  forgot  to  put  a  soul  into. 


FAB  in  the  woods  of  Maine,  in  these  winter 
months,  there  are  a  hundred  camps,  and  scores  of 
axemen  are  busy  cutting  down  the  huge  trees,  and 
measuring  the  logs,  and  sorting  them,  and  throwing 
them  into  deep  gullies,  where  they  will  lie  dry  and 
undisturbed  until  the  snows  melt,  and  the  spring 
floods  come,  and  then  they  will  be  borne  out  of  the 
ravines  into  the  ever  deep-flowing  river,  and  from 
thence  to  some  Penobscot  or  Kennebec,  and  there 
collected  together,  and  bound  in  mighty  rafts,  they 
will  float  down  to  tide  waters.  So  men  are  lying, 
d;y  logs  along  empty  channels,  hoping  that  some  re- 
vival freshet  will  come  and  sweep  them  down  to  deep 
waters  of  piety. 

IT  is  not  desirable  that  we  should  live  as  in  the 
constant  atmosphere  and  presence  of  deatli ;  that 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  23b 

would  unfit  us  for  life ;  but  it  is  well  for  us,  now 
and  then,  to  talk  with  death  as  friend  talketh  with 
friend,  and  to  bathe  in  the  strange  seas,  and  to  an- 
ticipate the  experiences  of  that  land  to  which  it  will 
lead  us.  These  forethinkings  are  meant,  not  to 
make  us  discontented  with  life,  but  to  bring  iis  back 
with  more  strength,  and  a  nobler  purpose  in  living. 
A  banner  long  unused,  and  laid  away  in  a  dark 
chamber,  grows  dusty  and  moth  eaten,  and  needs, 
for  its  preservation,  to  be  unrolled  and  shaken  out, 
and  borne  high  in  air :  so  our  spiritual  life  decays 
in  the  confinement  and  darkness  of  the  world ;  and 
that  it  may  gain  new  vigor,  our  thoughts  must  now 
and  then  be  unfurled,  and  held  high,  and  shaken  in 
the  air  of  heaven. 

A  MAN  who  emigrates  from  the  low  country  of 
selfishness,  where  are  perpetual  chills  and  fevers,  to 
the  high  lands  of  benevolence,  goes  from  sickness 
and  barrenness  to  the  realm  of  health,  and  plenty, 
and  joy,  where  his  hand  can  almost  pluck  the  fruits 
from  the  tree  of  life  itself. 


SUFFERING,  in  repentance,  is  not  in  itself  merito- 
rious ;  it  is  only  instrumental.  Many  persons  aim 
at  suffering  as  a  mode  of  producing  a  change  of 


236  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

heart ;  but  tins  is  the  monkish  idea  of  bodily  torture 
for  penance.  Old  warriors,  whose  lives  had  been 
spent  in  crime  and  self-indulgence,  saw  some  vision, 
some  stag  in  the  woods  with  a  cross_  between  his 
horns,  and  forthwith  they  were  frightened,  and  re- 
solved to  amend  their  ways,  and  clothed  themselves 
in  haircloth,  and  were  miserable  the  rest  of  their 
days  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  their  youth.  Now,  our 
asceticism  has  gone  beyond  this.  It  does  not  relate 
to  the  body,  but  to  the  mind.  One  who  in  youth 
has  strayed  from  virtue,  never  forgets  his  error,  but 
checks  every  smile  with,  "  you  remember,"  and  lets 
gall  from  the  old  bitterness  exude  on  every  flower 
of  pleasure.  This  is  not  God's  example'.  He  says, 
if  we  turn  from  sin  he  will  make  no  mention  of  our 
transgressions,  and  our  iniquities  he  will  remember 
no  more.  So,  when  we  have  heartily  repented  of 
wrong,  we  should  let  all  the  waves  of  forgetfulness 
roll  over  it,  and  go  forward  unburdened  to  meet  the 
future.  "  Forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  be- 
fore,.! press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 


A  LOW  and  normal  action  of  fear  leads  to  fore- 
cast ;  its  morbid  action  is  a  positive  hinderance  to 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  237 

effort.  Water  is  necessary  for  the  floating  of  tim- 
ber ;  but  if  a  log  be  saturated  with  water,  it  sinks  in 
the  very  element  which  should  buoy  it  up.  Many 
men  are  water-logged  with  anxiety,  and  instead  of 
quickening  them,  it  only  paralyzes  exertion. 


MORALITY  is  character  and  conduct,  such  as  is 
required  by  the  circle  or  community  in  which  the 
man's  life  happens  to  be  placed.  It  shows  how 
much  good  men  require  of  us.  Religion  is  the  en- 
deavor of  a  man  with  all  his  mind,  and  heart,  and 
soul,  to  form  his  life  and  his  character  upon  the 
true  elements  of  love  and  submission  to  God,  and 
love  and  good  will  to  man.  A  spiritual  Christian 
is  like  a  man  who  learns  the  principles  of  music, 
and  then  goes  on  to  the  practice.  A  moralist  is 
like  a  man  who  learns  nothing  of  the  principles,  but 
only  a  few  airs  by  rote,  and  is  satisfied  to  know  as 
many  tunes  as  common  people  do.  Morality  is 
good,  and  is  accepted  of  God,  as  far  as  it  goes ;  but 
the  difficulty  is,  it  does  not  go  far  enough.  "  Is 
not  my  fifty  fathom  cable  as  good  as  your  hundred 
fathom  one?"  says  the  sailor.  Yes,  as  far  as  it 
goes  ;  but  in  water  a  hundred  fathoms  deep,  if  it 
does  not  go  within  fifty  fathoms  of  anchorage,  of 
what  use  will  it  be  in  a  storm  ? 


238  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

The  Christian  and  the  moralist  are  alike  in  many 
things,  but  by  and  by  the  Christian  will  be  admitted 
to  a  sphere  which  the  moralist  cannot  enter.  A 
barren  and  a  fruitful  vine  are  growing  side  by  side 
in  the  garden,  and  the  barren  vine  says  to  the  fruit- 
ful one,  — 

"  Is  not  my  root  as  good  as  yours  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replies  the  vine,  "  as  good  as  mine." 

"  And  are  not  my  lower  leaves  as  broad  and 
spreading,  and  is  not  my  stem  as  large,  and  my 
bark  as  shaggy  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  says  the  vine. 

"  And  are  not  my  leaves  as  green,  and  have  I  not 
as  many  bugs  creeping  up  and  down,  and  am  I  not 
taller  than  you?" 

"  Yes,"  meekly  replies  the  vine,  "  but  I  have 
blossoms." 

"  0  !  blossoms  are  of  no  use." 

"  But  I  bear  fruit." 

"  What,  those  clusters  ?  Those  are  only  a  trouble 
to  a  vine." 

But  what  thinks  the  vintner  ?  He  passes  by  the 
barren  vine  ;  -but  the  other,  filling  the  air  with  its 
odor  in  spring,  and  drooping  with  purple  clusters 
in  autumn,  is  his  pride  and  joy  ;  and  he  lingers  near 
it,  and  prunes  it  that  it  may  become  yet  more  lux- 
uriant and  fruitful.  So  the  moralist  and  the  Chris- 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  239 

tian  may  grow  together  for  a  while ;  but  by  and  by, 
when  the  moralist's  life  is  barren,  the  Christian's 
will  come  to  flower  and  fruitage  in  the  garden  of 
God.  "  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear 
much  fruit." 

THERE  are  few  complete  loves  on  earth.  Though 
thousands  love,  and  earnestly,  yet  no  one  knows 
the  whole  want  of  his  life  till  he  has  met  that  which 
is  a  supply  to  all  —  mind  to  mind,  heart  to  heart, 
faculty  to  faculty.  But  the  supply  is  so  scanty,  and 
man  is  so  poor  !  It  is  only  God  who  can  satisfy  the 
soul. 

WE  bury  men  when  they  are  dead,  but  we  try  to 
embalm  the  dead  body  of  laws,  keeping  the  corpse 
in  sight  long  after  the  vitality  has  gone.  It  usually 
takes  a  hundred  years  to  make  a  law ;  and  then, 
after  it  has  dene  its  work,  it  usually  takes  a  hun- 
dred years  to  get  rid  of  it.  When  we  have  gained 
our  health,  we  do  not  repeat  the  portion  of  medi- 
cine, but  we  keep  on  dosing  with  law  when  the  evil 
which  it  was  meant  to  cure  has  passed  away* 


NOTHING  which  comes  into  the  world  in  the  way 
of  divine  truth  is  ever  lost.     You  may  open  your 


240  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

-«, 

cage  and  let  your  singing  bird  fly  out,  and  he  may 
wander  away/and  the  song  he  sang  you  may  never 
hear  in  your  home  again  ;  but  when  God  opens  the 
door  of  heaven,  and  lets  some  singing  truth,  angel- 
winged,  fly  down  to  earth,  it  is  never  lost,  but  one 
catches  the  strain  here,  and  .another  repeats  it  there, 
till  at  length  it  becomes  choral. 

The  truth  may  change  its  form  ;  it  may  be  hid  for 
years  and  generations  ;  but,  as  the  old  wheat  seeds, 
wrapped  in  the  mummies  of  Egypt,  now,  after 
ages,  sought  out  by  prying  travellers  and  planted, 
are  found  not  to  have  lost  their  germ,  but  to  have 
kept  it  through  the  sleep  of  three  thousand  years, 
so  God's  truths,  hid  in  dead  forms  and  institutions, 
slumbering  in  the  grave  of  old  books  and  libraries, 
or  banished  from  polite  society  to  live  in  the  rags 
of  the  vulgar,  do  at  length  come  forth  with  unim- 
paired germ,  losing  no  more  by  their  burial  than 
did  Christ,  their  Master.  Like  him  they  carry  an 
unquenched  heart  through  the  grave.  They  bring 
forth  light  from  its  darkness,  and  in  spite  of  brute 
force  and  watchful  authority,  they  stand  again  upon 
the  earth,  and  look  abroad  with  eyes  of  immortality. 


HEATHENISM  was  always  exalting  the  top  of  so- 
ciety, the  great  men,  and  taking  no  thought  for  the 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  241 

masses  below  them.  Christianity  says,  "  The  great 
and  the  strong  can  take  care  of  themselves,"  and 
so  seeks  to  elevate  the  lowest  and  poorest.  Christ 
never  warned  us  against  not  respecting  a  king's 
crown  ;  but  his  words  were,  "  Whoso  shall  offend 
one  of  these  little  ones  which  believe  in  me,  it  were 
better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about 
his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of 
the  sea."  As  in  the  family,  it  is  not  the  son  of 
twenty-one  years,  but  the  babe,  whom  the  mother 
rocks  to  sleep  in  the  cradle,  so,  in  Christ's  family  of 
earth,  it  is  not  the  full-grown  and  the  mature  for 
whom  he  most  tenderly  provides  ;  it  is  the  weak, 
and  those  on  whom  the  world's  law  tramples,  that 
he  takes  tenderly  up  with  his  strong  arm,  and  rocks 
in  the  cradle  of  his  love  and  care. 


THE  elect  are  whosoever  will,  and  the  non-elect 
whosoever  won't. 

THE  growth  of  Christian  life  is  to  be  measured 
by  the  growth  of  love-;  and  love  itself  is  to  be 
measured  in  its  progressive  states  by  its  restfulness, 
its  undisturbed  trust,  its  victory  over  every  form  of 
fear.  The  state  of  perfect  loving  is  incompatible 
with  distrust.  When  the  heart  is  first  awakened  to 
21  •-« 


242  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

affection,  it  is  disturbed  and  agitated.  It  fluctuates 
with  every  shade  of  hope  and  fear  alternately.  It 
rushes  from  one  extreme  of  confidence  to  the  oppo- 
site of  doubt.  But  this  is  only  while  it  is  filling. 
The  heart  beginning  to  love  is  like  a  bay  into 
which  the  star-drawn  tides  are  rushing.  The  waters 
come  with  violence.  They  stir  up  the  sand  and  sed- 
iment. They  dash  and  murmur  on  the  edges  of  the 
shore.  They  whirl  and  chafe,  about  the  rocks,  and 
the  whole  bay  is  agitated  with  strife  and  counter- 
strife  of  swirling  waters,  until  they  have  nearly 
reached  their  height.  Then,  when  great  depth  is 
gained,  when  the  shores  are  full,  when  no  more 
room  is  found  for  the  floods,  the  bay  begins  to 
tranquillize  itself,  to  clear  its  surface ;  and  effacing 
every  wrinkle,  and  blowing  out  every  bubble,  and 
hushing  every  ripple  along  the  Ashore,  it  looks  up 
with  an  open  and  tranquil  face  into  the  sky,  and 
reflects  clearly  the  sun  and  moon,  that  have  drawn 
it  thither.  And  so  does  the  soul,  while  filling,  whirl 
with  disquiet,  and  fret  its  edges  with  wrinkles  and 
eddies ;  but  when  it  is  filled  with  love,  it  rests  and 
looks  calmly  up,  and  reflects  the  image  of  its  God ! 


THE  truths  of  the  Bible  are  like  gold  in  the  soil. 
Whole  generations  walk  over  it,  and  know  not  what 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  248 

treasures  arc  hidden  beneath.  So  centuries  of  men 
pass  over  the  Scriptures,  and  know  not  what  riches 
lie  under  the  feet  of  their  interpretation.  Some- 
times, when  they  discover  them,  they  call  them  new 
truths.  One  might  as  well  call  gold,  newly  dug, 
new  gold. 

GOD  is  a  being  who  gives  every  thing  but  punish- 
ment in  over  measure.  The  whole  divine  character 
and  administration,  the  whole  conception  of  God  as 
set  forth  in  the  Bible  and  in  nature,  is  of  a  being 
of  munificence,  of  abundance  and  superabundance. 
Enough  is  a  measuring  word  —  a  sufficiency  and  no 
more;  economy,  not  profusion.  .God  never  deals 
in  this  way.  With  him  there  is  always  a  magnifi- 
cent overplus.  The  remotest  corner  of  the  globe  is 
full  of  wonder  and  beauty.  The  laziest  bank  in 
the  world,  away  from  towns,  where  no  artists  do 
congregate,  upon  which  no  farm  laps,  where  no 
vines  hang  their  cooling  clusters,  nor  flowers  spring, 
nor  grass  invites  the  browsing  herd,  is  yet  spotted 
and  patched  with  moss  of  such  exquisite  beauty, 
that  the  painter  who  in  all  his  life  should  produce 
one  such  thing  would  be  a  master  in  art  and  im- 
mortal in  fame,  and  it  has  the  hair  of  ten  thousand 
reeds  combed  over  its  brow,  and  its  shining  sand 
and  insect  tribes  might  win  the  student's  lifetime. 


244  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

God's   least   thought   is   more  prolific  than  man's 
greatest  abundance. 


AT  first  babes  feed  on  the  mother's  bosom,  but 
always  on  her  heart. 


ALL  the  might  of  the  world  is  now  on  the  side 
of  Christianity.  Those,  barbarous,  inchoate  powers 
which  still  cling  to  heathenism,  are  already  trem- 
bling before  the  advancing  strides  of  the  Christian 
nations  ;  Christian  just  enough  to  rouse  all  their 
energies,  and  to  make  them  intensely  ambitious  and 
on  the  alert  to  increase  their  own  dominion,  without 
having  learned  Christianity's  highest  lesson,  the 
lesson  of  love. 

Even  that  heathenism  which  seems  to  have  some 
power,  is  only  waiting  for  its  time  of  decay.  In 
vast,  undisturbed  forests,  whose  intertwining  boughs 
exclude  the  light,  moisture  is  generated,  and  rills, 
fed  by  marshes  and  quiet  pools,  unite  to  form  run- 
ning rivers.  But  let  the  trees  be  cut  down,  and 
the  ground  be  laid  open  to  the  sun,  and  the  swamps 
will  dry  up,  and  the  rivers  run  no  more.  So  is  it 
with  the  Brahmins,  and  with  all  the  effete  teachers 
of  heathenism.  As  long  as  the  dense  shadows  of 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  245 

ignorance  brood  over  the  people,  they  will  possess 
some  little  trickling  power ;  but  let  the  light  of 
knowledge  shine  in  upon  the  masses,  and  the 
channels  of  their  influence  will  dry  up  and  be  for- 
gotten. 

Already,  war,  with  its  bloody  hand,  raps  at  the 
gate  of  empire  in  India  and  in  China.  England 
presses  upon  them.  Russia  is  steadily  moving 
through  craunching  snows  to  the  southward.  The 
great  nations,  like  lions  roused  from  their  lairs,  are 
roaring  and  springing  upon  the  prey,  and  the  little 
nations,  like  packs  of  hungry  wolves,  are  standing 
by,  licking  their  jaws,  and  waiting  for  their  share 
of  the  spoils.  The  world  is  out  hunting  —  what  ? 
Heathenism.  And  it  will  be  caught ;  it  will  be 
unearthed.  A  little  while  and  there  will  be  no 
den  so  deep,  or  forest  so  dark,  or  island  so  remote, 
that  it  can  find  refuge. 


CONCEITED  men  often  seem  a  harmless  kind  of 
men,  who,  by  an  overweening  self-respect,  relieve 
others  from  the  duty  of  respecting  them  at  all. 


IN  my  schoolboy  drawing  lessons,  when  I  came 
to  the  human  face,  my  master  gave  me  first  the 
21  * 


246  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

eyes  to  practise  upon,  and  then  the  nose,  and  then 
the  mouth,  and  then  the  ears,  and  then  the  brow 
and  hair,  and  after  long  weeks  the  day  came  when 
I  was  to  combine  them.  I  knew  where  to  set  the 
eyes,  one  over  against  the  other,  where  to  draw 
down  the  nose,  and  to  open  the  mouth,  and  to  place 
the  ears,  and  to  shade  the  hair  about  the  forehead ; 
and  so,  at  last,  I  had  a  perfect  face.  Now,  God  is 
the  great  draught-master,  and  the  world  is  his  pupil. 
Here  and  there,  through  laws  and  institutions,  he 
is  developing  the  single  features,  and  at  length  the 
day  will  come  when  they  shall  be  combined  to  form 
a  perfect  manhood  in  Christ  Jesus. 

At  the  Military  Academy,  the  soldiers  are  taken 
separately  to  the  drill  room,  and  there  the  martinet 
puts  them  through  all  the  steps,  and  passes,  and 
gestures,  which  they  are  required  to  learn  ;  and 
when  they  have  been  trained  and  disciplined,  they 
come  to  the  parade  ground ;  and  then,  at  the  word 
of  command,  platoons  march,  and  squadrons  wheel, 
and  the  great  army,  as  one  man,  moves  to  the  voice 
of  its  leader.  Now,  God's  formative  influences  in 
this  world  are  his  military  academies,  his  drill 
rooms,  where  for  centuries  the  soldiers  of  the  cross 
have  been  trained ;  but  the  day  is  coming  when  he 
shall  put  to  his  lips  the  trumpet  of  announcement, 
and  when,  with  uplifted  standard  and  triumphal 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  247 

music,  he  shall  lead  forth  his  vast  army  to  go  round 
and  round  the  world  with  victory  ! 


How  in  the  household  are  garments  quilted,  and 
wrought,  and  curiously  embroidered,  and  the  softest 
things  laid  aside,  and  the  cradle  prepared  to  greet 
the  little  pilgrim  of  love  when  it  comes  from  dis- 
tant regions,  we  know  not  whence.  Now,  no  cradle 
for  an  emperor's  child  was  ever  prepared  with  such 
magnificence  as  this  world  has  been  for  man.  It  is 
God's  cradle  for  the  race  ;  curiously  carved  and 
decorated,  flower-strewn  and  star-curtained.  But 
because  it  is  the  cradle,  and  because  we  are  yet  in 
our  infancy,  God  had  not  scope  to  give  himself  ex- 
pression. What  is  to  come  we  know  not.  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him."* 


As  prisoners  in  castles  look  out  of  their  grated 
windows  at  the  smiling  landscape  where  the  sun 
comes  and  goes,  so  we,  from  this  life,  as  from  dun- 
geon bars,  look  forth  to  the  heavenly  land,  and  are 
refreshed  with  sweet  visions  of  the  home  that  shall 
be  ours  when  we  are  free. 


248  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

CHRIST  declared  without  qualification,  "  I  am  the 
light  of  the  world."  What  thunderous  strokes 
should  beat  down  the  audacious  man  who  should 
dare  to  say  this  !  If  Christ  had  not  been  the  ab- 
solute one,  he  would  have  said,  "  I  am  the  moon, 
shining  by  night,  but  my  spoused  one,  the  sun,  from 
whom  I  receive  my  beams,  shines  by  day." 

Again :  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  "What  man  would  dare  to  say  of 
merely  physical  things,  "  If  any  man  lacks  knowl- 
edge, let  him  come  to  me."  Neither  Humboldt, 
nor  Liebig,  nor  Agassiz  would  dare  to  say  this,  even 
of  the  departments  in  which  they  are  preeminent, 
how  much  less  of  the  whole  range  of  learning !  yet 
Christ,  disdaining  physical  things,  appeals  at  once 
to  the  soul  with  all  its  yearnings,  its  depths  of  de- 
spair, its  claspings,  —  like  a  mother  feeling  at  mid- 
night for  the  child  whom  death  has  taken,  —  its  infi- 
nite outreachings,  its  longings  for  love,  and  peace,  and 
joy,  which  nothing  can  satisfy  this  side  of  the  bosom 
of  God,  and  says,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink."  He  stands  over  against  what- 
ever want  there  is  in  the  human  bosom,  whatever 
hunger  there  is  in  the  moral  faculties,  whatever  need 
there  is  in  the  imagination,  and  says,  "  He  that 
cometh  to  me  shall,  never  hunger,  and  he  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me  shall  never  thirst." 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  249 

THERE  is  no  heresy  in  the  long  list  of  heresies 
which  have  invaded  the  church,  like  the  heresy  of 
negativeness,  of  inaction,  of  death.  The  dead  man 
is  the  great  heresiarch. 


NOWHERE  in  the  Bible  is  it  said,  "  Give  Christ 
what  is  due  to  him,  but  leave  some  store  for  God 
when  you  reach  heaven."  On  the  contrary,  we  are 
pressed,  we  are  urged,  we  are  crowded,  we  are 
touched  by  the  Bible  on  every  hand,  as  summer 
soil  is  by  summer  sun,  to  spring  forth  in  all  growths, 
both  high  and  low,  and  to  give  them  all  into  the 
bosom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Should  a  vine 
wind  its  thousand  tendrils  round  a  trellis,  its  life 
would  be  destroyed  if  they  were  rudely  cut  and  torn 
away.  Now,  the  soul  has  more  tendrils  than  any 
climbing  vine,  and  if  they  have  all  clung  about  the 
Lord  Jesus  as  their  divine  support,  how  worse  than 
death  will  it  be  to  wake  up  in  the  awful  judgment 
to  find  that  he  is  but  a  creature,  and  to  be  wrenched 
forever  from  him  !  If  Christ  be  not  God,  then  to 
worship  him  is  idolatry,  and  the  Father  has  deluded 
and  deceived  the  world. 

0  Lord  Jesus  !  My  heart  cries  out  from  its  depths 
that  thou  art  very  God.  In  thee  I  find  rest  and 
satisfaction.  Thy  heart  opens  like  summer  to  one 


250  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

who  navigates  from  high  northern  latitudes,  and 
takes  me  into  its  tropical  embrace.  All  thoughts 
and  feelings  that  rise,  singing,  in  my  soul,  fly  home 
to  thee  as  birds  to  their  nests.  .And  thy  stores  are 
infinite.  When  the  mother  tires  of  the  child,  and 
puts  it  away  from  the  bosom  where  it  draws  its 
sweet  life  ;  when  the  friend  who  has  yearned  for 
love  says  to  the  loving  one,  "  Enough,  I  am  sated ;  " 
when  the  soul  that  has  known  only  dreary  wastes 
of  experience,  having  come  at  last  to  a  realm  of 
song  and  bloom,  calls  back  the  darkness  and  the 
desert ;  even  then,  0  Lord,  I  shall  not  weary  of 
thee  !  But  where  in  my  heart  there  is  one  drop  of 
affection,  I  would  increase  it  till  it  should  be  as  the 
unmeasured  ocean  ;  where  now  I  look  at  thee  with 
adoring  eyes,  I  would  multiply  my  glances  till  my 
face  should  glow  as  does  the  sky  when  night  reveals 
the  stars  ;  I  would  dedicate  myself  to  thee  —  va- 
rious, universal,  total  self — to  thee,  my  King  and 
my  God ! 

THERE  are  many  professing  Christians  who  are 
secretly  vexed  on  account  of  the  charity  they  have 
to  bestow,  and  the  self-denial  they  have  to  use.  If, 
instead  of  the  smooth  prayers  which  they  do  pray, 
they  should  speak  out  the  things  which  they  really 
feel,  they  would  say,  when  they  go  home  at  night, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  251 

"  0  Lord,  I  met  a  poor  wretch  of  yours  to-day, 
a  miserable,  unwashed  brat,  and  I  gave  him  six- 
pence, and  I  have  been  sorry  for  it  ever  since ; " 
or,  "0  Lord,  if  I  had  not  signed  those  articles  of 
faith,  I  might  have  gone  to  the  theatre  this  evening. 
Your  religion  deprives  me  of  a  great  deal  of  enjoy- 
ment ;  but  I  mean  to  stick  to  it.  There's  no  other 
way  of  getting  into  heaven,  I  suppose." 

The  sooner  such  men  are  out  of  the  church,  the 
better. 

IF,  every  time  conscience  was  wronged,  it  sighed, 
and  every  time  reason  was  perverted,  it  uttered 
complaints,  no  one  could  live  for  the  moaning  which 
would  fill  his  soul. 


SOME  men,  when  they  attempt  to  reform  their  lives, 
reform  those  things  for  which  they  do  not  much  care. 
They  take  the  torch  of  God's  word,  and  enter  some 
indifferent  chamber,  and  the  light  blazes  in,  and 
they  see  that  they  are  veryvsinful  there ;  and  then 
they  look  into  another  room,  where  they  do  not  often 
stay,  and  are  willing  to  admit  that  they  are  very 
sinful  there  ;  but  they  leave  unexplored  some  cup- 
boards and  secret  apartments  where  their  life  really 
is,  and  where  they  have  stored  up  the  things  which 
are  dearest  to  them,  and  which  they  will  neither 
part  from,  nor  suffer  rebuke  for. 


252  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

THE  young,  wlio  recoil  from  impositions,  some- 
times say,  c  I  have  no  proof  of  invisible  things.  I 
will  believe  in  nothing  which  my  reason  does  not 
show  me." 

Tito  differences  between  men  lie  in  their  power 
and  scope  of  rising  above  the  senses  into  the  region 
of  the  invisible.  All  men  in  action,  if  not  in  pro- 
fession, recognize  this  life  beyond  the  senses.  The 
material  man  says,  "  I  believe  in  nothing  which  I 
cannot  see,"  and  so  he  goes  about  collecting  facts 
from  observation.  But  what  does  he  do  with  them  ? 
He  sublimes  them  into  a  principle,  and  that  is  in- 
visible. 

You  may  unscrew  and  take  off  the  end  of  a  tele- 
scope, and  you  will  have  only  a  magnifying  glass 
with  which  you  can  examine  the  objects  about  you. 
Return  it  to  its  place,  and  new  powers  will  be  added 
to  it,  and  things  which  are  remote  will  begin  to  lift 
themselves  with  marvellous  clarity.  Draw  out  the 
tube,  and  you  can  pierce  yet  farther  the  distance, 
till  at  length  your  vision  sweeps  the  stellar  universe. 
Now,  we  can  employ  our  reason  upon  the  material 
things  about  us ;  and  it  is  reason  still,  only  in  a 
higher  form,  when  we  draw  it  out  and  give  it  a  suc- 
cession al  power,  and  behold  through  it  that  which 
lies  beyond  the  region  of  the  senses ;  and  when  we 
extend  it  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  the  lenses  are 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  253 

all  right,  we  can  look  through  it  into  heaven  itself, 
and  the  magnificent  background  is  the  glory  of  God 
Almighty. 

That  state  of  mind  in  which  a  man  is  impressed 
with  invisible  things,  is  faith.  It  is  the  use  of  the 
mind  and  the  soul  power,  in  distinction  from  "the 
body  power.  Men  have  such  a  narrow  view  of  what 
faith  is,  that  they  look  for  it  as  one  would  look  for  a 
diamond  ;  whereas  they  should  look  for  it  as  treasure. 
Treasure  may  be  precious  stones,  or  gold,  or  raiment, 
or  fragrant  woods  ;  treasure  is  a  hundred  things,  dia- 
mond is  but  one  ;  so  faith  is  not  a  special  thing,  as 
many  people  make  it..  It  does  not  apply  to  religion 
alone,  but  to  all  the  departments  of  life.  It  is  simply 
such  a  carriage  of  the  soul  as  lifts  it  into  the  realm 
of  the  invisible,  so  that  the  man  lives  by  his  higher 
faculties,  rather  than  by  his  lower.  Even  in  the 
most  practical  matters,  that  man  succeeds  best  who 
has  the  most  of  this  element.  The  difference  be- 
tween a  merchant  prince  and  a  petty  trader  is,  that 
the  trader  can  work  only  so  far  as  he  sees.  He 
must  be  able  to  put  his  hand  on  cask,  and  box,  and 
bale,  while  he  whom  we  call  the  merchant  prince, 
disdains  to  stop  at  what  he  can  see  and  handle,  but 
goes  beyond  and  deals  with  the  relations  of  things, 
and  anticipates  results,  and  taking  into  account 
time,  and  space,  and  quality,  and  quantity,  .and 
22 


254  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

seasons,  and  races,  and  latitudes,  he  makes  the 
whole  earth  minister  to  his  need.  This  is  commer- 
cial faith.  In  affairs  of  state,  the  man  who  looks 
only  at  forms  of  law,  and  at  the  daily  routine  of 
government,  is  but  a  politician  ;  while  he  who  com- 
prehends those  great,  stately  principles  which  walk, 
known  or  disguised,  through  all  things,  and  who 
looks  forth  with  clear  vision  to  see  the  bearing  of 
the  present  upon  the  future,  is  a  statesman.  This 
is  political  faith.  There  are  many  people  who  are  so 
refined  in  their  tastes,  —  and  by  refinement  I  mean 
the  passage  of  a  thing  from  a  gross  form  to  its  evan- 
ishing point  in  the  immaterial,  —  that  they  live  in 
the  ideal  rather  than  in  the  actual.  Such  have  an 
aesthetical  faith.  They  have  so  cultivated  their  eye 
for  colors  that  they  can  almost  see  the  gleaming  of 
the  precious  stones  in  the  wall  of  heaven  ;  and  they 
have  taught  their  ear  so  to  appreciate  harmonious 
sounds,  that  they  can  almost  hear  the  celestial  bells 
ringing  sweet  invitation  to  them ;  and  they  have  so 
strengthened  and  purified  their  social  natures  that 
the  fiery  edges  of  heavenly  affection  almost  touch 
theirs,  as  cloud  lightning  touches  cloud  lightning. 
How  wretched  will  such  be,  when  through  death 
they  really  enter  the  realm  of  the  invisible,  to  find 
that  they  have  failed  of  the  highest  faith,  the  faith 
of  the  moral  nature,  which  alone  will  admit  them 
to  the  companionship  of  God ! 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  255 

May  all  of  us  have  that  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  which  availeth,  that  faith  which  worketh  hy 
love,  and  so,  though  we  have  begun  in  the  egg  on 
earth,  yet,  through  God's  brooding,  before  we  know 
it,  we  shall  chip  the  shell ;  and  though  we  have  lain 
so  loijg,  coiled  up  and  helpless,  we  shall  begin  to 
put  forth  plumes;  and,  disdaining  the  nest,  and 
finding  the  ground  chilly  beneath  our  feet,  with 
every  gathering  feather  we  shall  pine  for  the  air, 
and,  pining,  begin  to  try  those  notes  which  we  are 
yet  to  learn  ;  and,  at  length,  in  some  bright  and 
beaded  morning,  we  shall  spread  our  wings,  and 
rising  above  the  tangle  and  the  thicket,  soar  through 
the  blue,  singing  to  the  gate  of  heaven ! 


IF  we  should  gather  all  the  flowers  that  grow 
upon  the  mountain  sides  and  in  the  valleys,  and 
heap  them  up  before  God,  he  would  not  be  richer 
than  he  is  now  ;  but  when  we  bring  ourselves  to 
him,  and  affection  after  affection  opens  and  exhales 
in  his  presence,  he  is  richer,  and  his  joys  are  greater. 


MANY  people  seem  to  imagine  that  God  keeps  a 
gracious  apothecary's  shop  above,  with  faith,  and 
meekness,  and  humility  put  up  in  bottles  ready  for 


256  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

purchasers,  and  that,  as  they  could  go  into  a  per- 
fumer's here  below,  and  ask  for  this  or  that  extract, 
so  they  can  go  to  God,  and  ask  for  this  or  that  grace. 
They  think  if  they  go  into  their  closet  at  night,  and 
pray  with  faith  for  faith,  if  the  expression  be  not  an 
absurdity,  that  the  next  morning  it  will  be. deliv- 
ered to  them.  Christian  graces  can  never  be  ob- 
tained in  this  way.  They  must  be  the  outgrowth 
of  the  life.  The  prayer  for  graces  will  be  answered, 
but  God  will  make  us  work  out  each  one  with  fear 
and  trembling.  The  spire  that  almost  touches  the 
stars,  does  not  rise,  isolated,  from  the  ground ;  be- 
neath it,  and  supporting  it,  is  the  massy  substruc- 
ture, the  vast  cathedral  of  stone.  So  faith  cannot 
soar  alone  to  heaven  ;  it  must  be  the  •  steeple  and 
spire  of  the  whole  life-building. 


ALL  true  ambition  and  aspiration  are  without 
comparisons. 

As, — in  some  summer's  morning  which  wakes  with 
a  ring  of  birds,  when  it  is  clear,  leagues  up  into  the 
blue,  and  every  thing  is  as  distinctly  cut  as  if  it  stood 
in  heaven  and  not  on  earth,  when  the  distant  moun- 
tains lie  bold  upon  the  horizon,  and  the  air  is  full  of 
the  fragrance  of  flowers  which  the  night  cradled,  — 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  257 

the  traveller  goes  forth  with  buoyant  and  elastic  step 
upon  his  journey,  and  halts  not  till  in  the  twilight 
shadows  he  reaches  his  goal,  so  may  we,  who  are 
but  pilgrims,  go  forth  beneath  the  smile  of  God, 
upon  our  homeward  journey.  May  heaven  lie  upon 
the  horizon,  luring  us  on  ;  and  when  at  last  we  sink 
to  sleep,  and  dream  that  we  behold  again  those 
whom  we  have  lost,  may  we  wake  to  find  that  it  was 
not  a  dream,  but  that  we  are  in  heaven ;  and  may 
the  children  for  whom  we  have  yearned,  and  the 
companions  who  anticipated  us  and  gained  heaven 
first,  come  to  greet  us.  Then,  sweeter  than  all,  may 
we  behold  the  face  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  our  Master, 
our  Life,  and  cast  ourselves  before  him,  that  he 
may  raise  us  up  with  great  grace,  to  stand  upon 
our  feet  forevermore  ! 


SOME  men  think  that  religion  is  a  mere  ecstatic 
experience,  like  a  tune  rarely  played  upon  some 
faculty  ;  living  only  while  it  is  being  performed, 
and  then  dying  in  silence.  And,  indeed,  many  men 
carry  their  religion  as  a  church  carries  its  bell  — 
high  up  in  a  belfry,  to  ring  out  on  sacred  days,  to 
strike  for  funerals,  or  to  chime  for  weddings.  All 
the  rest  of  the  time  it  hangs  high  above  reach  — \ 
voiceless,  silent,  dead.  But  religion  is  not  the 
22* 


258  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

speciality  of  any  one  feeling,  but  the  mood  and  har- 
mony of  the  whole  of  them.  It  is  the  whole  soul 
marching  heavenward  to  the  music  of  joy  and  love, 
with  well-ranked  faculties,  every  one  of  them  beat- 
ing time  and  keeping  tune. 

The  religious  life  is  thoughtful,  but  thought  is 
not  alone  its  nature.  It  is  full  of  affection,  but  it  has 
more  than  mere  feeling ;  it  abounds  in  grand  moral 
impulses.  Effervescent  experiences  are  not  its 
characteristic.  It  is  the  soul  of  a  man  made  won- 
drously  rich,  moving  to  the  touch  of  divine  influ- 
ence, in  every  way  to  which  so  facile  and  elaborate 
a  creature  as  man  can  move.  There  is  no  end  to 
its  combinations.  It  shapes  itself  beyond  all  enu- 
meration of  shapes.  It  thinks  in  vast  and  fathom- 
less streams.  It  wills  with  all  attitudes  of  authority 
and  decision.  It  feels  with  all  moods  and  variations 
of  social  affection.  It  rises,  by  the  wings  of  faith, 
into  the  invisible,  and  fashions  for  itself  a  life  there, 
glowing  with  every  imaginable  ecstasy.  And  nei- 
ther one  of  these  is  religion  more  than  another.  It 
is  the  whole  soul's  life  that  is  religion.  When  the 
sun  rose  on  Memnon,  it  was  fabled  to  have  uttered 
melodious  noises  ;  but  what  were  the  rude  twangings 
of  that  huge,  grotesque  statue,  compared  with  the 
soul's  response  when  God  rises  upon  it,  and  every 
part,  like  a  vibrating  chord,  sounds  forth,  to  his 
touch,  its  joy  and  worship? 


LIFE     THOUGHTS. 


Do  men  go  to  school  because  they  know  so  much, 
or  because  they  know  so  little  ?  Do  men  go  to  a 
physician  because  they  are  sick,  or  do  they  wait  till 
they  are  well  and  then  go  ?  Yet  to  hear  people 
speak  of  uniting  with  the  church  one  would  suppose 
that  they  thought  it  their  duty  to  stay  out  till  they 
were  perfect,  and  then  to  join  it  as  ornaments.  They 
who  are  weak,  but  who  wish  strength  ;  they  who 
are  ignorant,  but  hunger  for  knowledge  ;  they  who 
are  unable  to  go  alone,  and  need  sympathy  and  so- 
ciety to  hold  them  up  ;  they  who  are  lame,  and  need 
crutches  ;  in  short,  they  who  know  the  plague  and 
infirmity  of  a  selfish  heart,  a  worldly  nature,  a  sin- 
ful life,  and  who  desire  above  all  things  to  be  lifted 
above  them,  have  a  preparation  for  the  church.  If 
you  could  walk  without  limping,  why  use  a  crutch 
at  all  ?  If  you  are  already  good  enough,  why  go 
into  a  church  ?  But  if  you  are  so  lame  that  a  staff 
is  a  help,  so  infirm  that  company  and  ordinances 
will  aid  you,  then  you  have  a  right  to  the  fellowship 
of  the  church.  To  unite  with  a  church  is  not  to 
profess  that  you  are  a  saint,  that  you  are  good,  and 
still  less  that  you  are  better  than  others.  It  is  but 
a  public  recognition  of  your  weakness  and  your 
spiritual  necessities.  The  church  is  not  a  gallery  for 
the  better  exhibition  of  eminent  Christians,  but  a 
chool  for  the  education  of  imperfect  ones,  a  nur- 


260  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

sery  for  the  care  of  weak  ones,  a  hospital  for  the 
better  healing  of  those  who  need  assiduous  care. 


How  does  one  begin  to  learn  Latin  ?  Not  charmed 
with  the  numbers  of  Virgil,  but  stumbling  over  the 
grammar  ;  digging  at  roots  of  verbs.  As  it  is  with 
study,  so  it  is  with  religion.  No  one  should  be  dis- 
appointed if  the  early  experiences  of  his  Christian 
life  involve  many  doubts  and  fears.  A  new  life, 
like  a  new  river,  has  to  pick  its  way  and  find  its 
channel.  The  waters  will  gather  in  pools,  and  seem 
to  cease  to  flow.  Rising  over  the  brim,  they  will 
shoot  through  some  rugged  pass,  and  be  swirled  by 
a  thousand  jagged  rocks  ;  but  by  and  by,  when  the 
channel  is  secured,  and  side  streams  begin  to  add 
their  stores,  the  river  will  neither  stop  nor  grow 
dry.  There  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  hold  back 
the  river  from  the  ocean,  or  the  Christian  life  from 
heaven. 

GOD'S  promises  were  never  meant  to  ferry  our 
laziness.  Like  a  boat,  they  are  to  be  rowed  by  our 
oars;  but  many  men,  entering,  forget  the  oar,  and 
drift  down  more  helpless  in  the  boat  than  if  they 
had  staid  on  shore.  There  is  not  an  experience 
in  life  by  whose  side  God  has  not  fixed  a  promise. 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  2Q\ 

There  is  not  a  trouble  so  deep  and  swift-running, 
that  we  may  not  cross  safely  over,  if  we  have  cour- 
age to  steer  and  strength  to  pull. 


MANY  of  our  troubles  are  God  dragging  us,  and 
they  would  end  if  we  would  stand  upon  our  feet,  and 
go  whither  he  would  have  us. 


IN  December  the  days  grow  shorter  till  the  twen- 
ty-first, the  shortest  day,  when,  at  a  precise  moment, 
the  sun  pauses  and  begins  to  return  towards  the 
north.  And  then,  though  the  days  are  constantly 
growing  longer,  and  the  sun  coming  nearer,  yet  for 
weeks  there  is  no  apparent  change.  The  snow  lies 
heavy  upon  the  earth.  There  are  neither  leaves, 
nor  blossoms,  nor  singing  birds ;  nothing  to  mark 
the  summer  time  which  is  surely  advancing.  But 
at  length  the  ground  begins  to  relax  in  the  sunny 
places,  and  the-  snows  melt,  and  warm  winds  blow 
from  the  south,  and  buds  swell,  and  flowers  spring, 
and  ere  long  there  is  the  bloom  and  glory  of  June. 
So,  there  is  a  precise  moment  when  the  soul  pauses 
in  its  departure  from  God,  and  begins  to  return 
towards  him.  The  fruits  of  that  return  may  not 
be  at  once  visible  ;  there  may  be  long  interior  con- 


262  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

flicts  before  the  coldness  and  deadness  of  the  heart 
is  overcome ;  but  at  length  the  good  will  triumph, 
and  instead  of  winter  and  desolation,  all  the  Chris- 
tian graces  will  spring  up  in  the  summer  of  divine 
love. 

THE  most  you  can'  do  to  a  good  man  is  to  perse- 
cute him ;  and  the  worst  that  persecution  can  do  is 
to  kill  him.  And  killing  a  good  man  is  as  bad  as 
it  would  be  to  spite  a  ship  by  launching  it.  The 
soul  is  built  for  heaven,  and  the  ship  for  the  ocean, 
and  blessed  be  the  hour  that  gives  both  to  the  true 
element. 

THERE  are  many  persons  who  have  heard  so  much 
of  family  government  that  they  think  there  cannot 
be  too  much  of  it.  They  imprison  their  children  in 
stiif  rooms,  where  a  fly  is  a  band  of  music  in  the 
empty  silence,  and  govern  at  morning,  and  govern 
at  night,  and  the  child  goes  all  day  long  like  a 
shuttle  in  the  loom,  back  and  forward,  hit  at  both 
ends.  Children  subjected  to  such  treatment  are 
apt  to  grow  up  infidels,  through  mere  disgusts. 


THE  Bible,  without  a  spiritual  life  to  interpret  it, 
is  like  a  trellis  on  which  no  vine  grows  —  bare,  an- 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  263 

gular,  and  in  the  way.  The  Bible,  with  a  spiritual 
life,  is  like  a  trellis  covered  with  a  luxuriant  vine  — 
beautiful,  odorous,  and  heavy  with  purple  cluster? 
shining  through  the  leaves. 


*  I  HAVE  seen  birds  sitting  on  the  boughs  and 
watching  while  other  birds  were  feeding  below. 
They  wo.uld  hop  from  twig  to  twig,  and  look  wist- 
fully down  upon  them ;  then,  gathering  courage, 
they  would  spring  from  their  perch  and  back  again, 
and  finding  that  it  did  not  hurt  them,  they  would 
at  last  join  the  outmost  circle,  and  feed  with  the 
others.  How  many  faces  I  have  seen  in  these  gal- 
leries, wearing  a  wistful  look  as  they  gazed  down 
upon  us  while  we  were  celebrating  this  ordinance  of 
communion.  May  God  give  all  such  wings,  that 
they  may  fly  down  and  be  among  his  people, 
partake  with  them  of  heavenly  food. 


A  MAN  who  should  sit  down  to  the  communion 
table,  having  bitterness  against  a  brother  in  his 
heart,  would  he  not  do  wrong  ?  "  Yes,"  you  an, 
swer  at  once.  But  it  is  communion  every  day. 
The  body  of  Christ  is  wherever  human  bodies  are, 

*  At  communion. 


264  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

and  he  who  has  any  bitterness  against  his  brother 
is  always  committing  sacrilege. 


A  MISSIONARY  sends  home  his  children  to  be  edu- 
cated. They  cannot  be  taught  in  the  heathen  coun- 
try where  he  dwells,  and  so  some  sister  receives  the 
precious  charge,  and  endeavors  to  supply  to  them 
the  place  of  father  and  mother.  They  are  very 
ignorant  when  they  arrive,  but  they  are  trained  and 
watched  over  with  assiduous  care.  Teachers  are 
provided  for  them  ;  they  are  cultivated  and  devel- 
oped on  every  side,  and  grow  up  to  maturity,  full 
of  knowledge,  and  loveliness,  and  virtue.  The  time 
draws  near  when  the  parent  shall  come  to  claim 
them,  and  how  anxious  is  their  loving  guardian  lest 
he  should  be  disappointed.  Her  constant  thought 
is,  "How  shall  I  present  these  children  acceptably 
to  their  father  ?  " 

• 

As  the  ship  that  bears  him  approaches,  the  land, 
the  longing  father  can  scarcely  wait  to  clasp  his 
dear  ones  in  his  arms.  He  makes  haste  to  go  on 
shore  ;  he  finds  his  sister's  house,  and  when  the 
first  warm  greetings  are  over,  she  leads  him  in  with 
trembling  joy,  and  says,  "  Here  are  your  children  !  " 
and  the  son  whom  he  left,  a  fair-haired  boy,  comes 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  265 

forward,  dark-haired,  deep-eyed,  and  taller  than  his 
father ;  and  the  daughter,  who  when  he  saw  her 
last  could  do  little  but  smile  and  cry,  advances  tim- 
idly, with  blushing  cheek,  and  all  the  grace  of  early 
womanhood.  If  they  have  been  wayward  and  in- 
tractable, his  love  in  that  hour  can  overlook  it  all. 
If  they  have  been  docile  and  obedient,  how  gladly 
does  he  embrace  them.  But  if,  more  than  this,  they 
have  striven  to  improve  every  advantage,  and  to 
make  themselves  worthy  of  their  father,  and  of  the 
kind  friend  who  has  guided  them,  with  what  rap- 
ture does  he  fold  them  to  his  heart ! 

Christians  are  God's  children  whom  he  has  sent 
to  school  upon  earth,  and  Christ  is  their  guide  and 
teacher,  who  desires  to  present  them  to  him  "  fault- 
less," "  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing." 
When,  through  death,  the  Father  comes  to  take 
them  home,  how  is  Christ's  heart  grieved  to  present 
those  who  have  been  wayward  and  worldly ;  but 

* 

they  are  children  still,  and  the  Father's  love  over- 
looks it,  and  they  are  "  saved  so  as  by  fire."  With 
subdued  joy  he  presents  those  who  have  made  no 
great  attainments,  but  have  yet  been  teachable  and 
obedient,  and  they  are  welcomed  to  the  heavenly 
inheritance.  And  then  with  radiant  face  he  brings 
those  shining  bands  who  have  been  the  true  disci- 
23 


266  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

pies,  following  gladly  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Master ; 
pressing  forward  through  toil  and  suffering  to  the 
prize,  and -""the  Father  makes  haste  to  greet  them, 
and  saying,  "  Come,  ye  blessed,"  folds  them  with 
rapture  to  his  bosom  ! 

The  entering  into  heaven  will  reveal  many  things 
unknown  on  earth.  Some  whom  the  world  thought 
saint-like  will  barely  gain  admittance  there,  and 
others  who  went  all  their  lives  in  doubt  and  dread, 
will  have  angelic  welcome,  and  an  abundant  en- 
trance into  the  heavenly  kingdom.  "  Tho  first 
shall  be  last,  and  the  last  shall  be  first." 

What  do  tlie  flowers  say  to  the  night  ?  They 
wave  their  bells,  and  exhale  their  choicest  odors,  as 
if  they  would  bribe  it  to  bestow  upon  them  some 
new  charm.  In  the  tender  twilight  they  look  wist- 
fully at  each  other,  and  say,  "  Do  you  see  any  thing 
on  me  ?  "  and  when  the  answer  is,  "  I  see  nothing," 
they  hang  their  heads  and  wait  sorrowfully  for 
the  morning,  fearing  that  they  shall  bring  no  beauty 
to  it.  Though  there  is  no  voice,  nor  sound,  yet  the 
night  hears  them,  and  silently  through  the  still  air 
the  dews  drop  down  from  the  sky,  and  settle  on 
every  stem,  and  bud,  and  blossom ;  and  when  day 
dawns,  at  the  first  rosy  glance  that  the  sun  sends 
athwart  the  fields,  ten  million  jewels  glitter,  and 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  267 

sparkle,  and  quiver  on  the  notched  edges  of  every 
leaf,  and  along  each  beaded  blade  and  spire  of  grass, 
and  spray,  and  the  happy  flowers,  stirred  by  the 
wind,  nod,  and  beckon,  and  smile  to  each  other, 
more  resplendent  in"  their  dewy  gems  than  any 
dream  of  the  night  had  imagined.  So  many  Chris- 
tians, who  in  the  darkness  of  this  life  have  longed 
and  labored  for  graces,  yet  sad  arid  fearing,  will 
find  themselves  covered  with  glory  when  the  eternal 
morning  dawns,  and  the  light  of  God's  countenance 
strikes  through  their  earth-gained  jewels  ! 


THERE  are  few  men,  even  among  the  most  world- 
ly, who  do  not  expect  to  be  converted  before  they 
die  ;  but  it  is  a  selfish,  mean,  sordid  conversion  they 
want — just  to  escape  hell  and  to  secure  heaven. 
Such  a  man  says,  "  I  have  had  my  pleasures,  and  the 
flames  have  gone  out  in  the  fireplaces  of  my  heart. 
I  have  taken  all  the  good  on  one  side ;  now  I  must 
turn  about  if  I  would  take  all  the  good  on  the  other." 
They  desire  just  experience  enough  to  make  a  key 
to  turn  the  lock  of  the  gate  of  the  celestial  city. 
They  wish  "  a  hope "  just  as  men  get  a  title  to 
an  estate.  No  matter  whether  they  improve  the 
property  or  not  if  they  have  the  title  safe.  A  "  hope  " 


268  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

is  to  them  like  a  passport  which  one  keeps  quietly 
in  his  pocket  till  the  time  for  the  journey,  and  then 
produces  it ;  or,  like  life  preservers  which  hang  use- 
less around  the  vessel  until  the  hour  of  clanger 
comes,  when  the  captain  calls  on  every  passenger  to 
save  himself,  and  then  they  are  taken  down  and 
blown  up,  and  each  man  witli  his  hope  under  his 
arms  strikes  out  for  the  land  ;  and  so,  such  men 
would  keep  their  religious  hope  hanging  idle  until 
death  comes,  and  then  take  it  down  and  inflate  it, 
that  it  may  buoy  them  up,  and  float  them  over  the 
dark  river  to  the  heavenly  shore ;  or,  as  the  inhab- 
itants of  Block  Island  keep  their  boats,  hauled  high 
upon  the  beach,  and  only  use  them  now  and  then, 
when  they  would  cross  to  the  main  land,  so  such 
men  keep  their  hopes,  high  and  dry  upon  the  shore 
of  life,  only  to  be  used  when  they  have  to  cross  the 
flood  that  divides  this  island  of  Time  from  the  main 
land  of  Eternity. 

As  a  man  who  is  ignorant  of  the  workmanship  of 
a  watch,  tries  to  examine  it,  and  after  several  bun-, 
gling  attempts  succeeds  in  opening  it,  and  then  does 
not  know  where  to  find  the  mainspring  or  the  hair- 
spring, or  why  the  wheels  play  into  each  other,  and 
at  last  shuts  it  again,  so  many  men  attempt  self- 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  269 

examination.  In  the  first  place,  they  find  it  very 
hard  to  fix  their  thoughts.  They  cannot  define  their 
reason ;  they  do  not  understand  the  play  of  their 
affections,  or  their  moral  powers,  and  so,  after  a 
weary  hour  they  shut  themselves  up  again,  and 
hope  that  in  some  mysterious  way  God  will  bless 
to  them  the  effort  at  self-examination.  A  man  might 
as  reasonably  look  into  a  well  to  see  the  sun  rise, 
as  to  look  thus  into  his  heart  with  the  expectation 
of  good. 

Other  men  examine  themselves  on  this  wise. 
They  sit  down  and  try  to  recall  all  their  thoughts, 
and  feelings,  and  actions  during  the  day,  and  then 
they  question  themselves,  "  Do  you  enjoy  reading 
the  Bible  ?  "  Yes,  they  believe  they  do.  "  Do 
you  like  Sunday  ?  "  Yes,  on  the  whole,  what  with 
the  music  and  all  the  rest,  they  think  they  do  like 
Sunday.  "  Are  you  fond  of  religious  conversa^ 
tion  ?  "  Yes,  if  they  can  have  their  choice  of  people, 
they  think  they  are  fond  of  religious  conversation. 
A  vine  would  never  be  so  stupid  as  to  examine  itself 
thus,  but  suppose  it  should,  and  should  call  out, 
"  Roots,  do  you  enjoy  being  down  there  in  the  soil  ? " 
"  Yes,  we  enjoy  being  here  in  the  soil."  "  Stem, 
do  you  like  to' be  out  there  in  summer  ?  "  "  Yes,  \ 
like  to  be  out  here  in  summer."  "  Leaves,  are  you 
fond  of  waving  in  the  sun  and  air  ?  "  "  Yes,  wo 
28* 


270  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

are  fond  of  the  sun  and  air."  and,  satisfied,  it  says, 
"  I  am  an  excellent  vine."  But  the  gardener,  stand- 
ing near,  exclaims,  "  The  useless  thing  !  I  paid  ten 
dollars  for  the  cutting,  and  I  have  pruned  and  cul- 
tivated it,  and  for  years  looked  for  the  black  Ham- 
burg grapes  it  was  to  bear,  but  it  has  yielded  only 
leaves."  He  does  not  care  that  the  roots  love  the 
soil,  and  the  stem  the  summer.  It  makes  no  differ- 
ence to  him  though  every  leaf  spread  itself  broad  as 
Sahara  in  its  barrenness.  It  is  fruit  that  he  wants. 
Now,  reading  the  Bible  is  like  the  roots  in  the  soil, 
and  liking  Sunday  is  like  the  stem  in  summer,  and 
being  fond  of  religious  conversation  is  like  the  leaves. 
in  the  sun  and  air.  If  religion  does  not  bring  forth 
fruit  in  the  life,  all  these  things  arc  as  worthless  in 
the  sight  of  God,  as  is  the  barren  vine  in  the  thought 
of  the  gardener. 

Around  the  chef  d'csuvres  in  the  galleries  of  Eu- 
rope, arti&ts  are  always  congregated.  You  may  see 
them  standing  before  Raphael's  Transfiguration, 
copying  with  the  nicest  care,  every  line  and  tint 
of  that  matchless  work  ;  glancing  constantly  from 
their  canvas  to  the  picture,  that  even  in.  the  minu- 
test parts  they  may  reproduce  the  original.  But  if 
at  one  side  you  saw  an  artist  who  only  looked  up 
occasionally  from  his  work,  and  drew  a  line,  but 
filled  in  here  a  tree  or  a  waterfall,  and  there  a  deer 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  271 

or  a  cottage,  just  as  his  fancy  suggested,  what  kind 
of  a  copyist  would  you  call  him  ?  Now,  true  self- 
examination  lies  in  ascertaining  how  nearly  we  are 
reproducing  Christ.  He  is  painted  for  us  in  no  gal- 
lery, but  his  life  glows,  fourfold,  in  the  Gospels,  and 
our  hearts  are  the  canvas  upon  which  we  are  to 
copy  it.  Let  us  not  take  occasional  glimpses,  and 
work,  meanwhile,  upon  earthly  designs  ;  but  let  us 
look  long  and  earnestly  till  our  lives  reflect  the 
whole  divine  image. 


COMING  once  down  the  Ohio  River  when  the  water 
was  low,  we  saw  just  before  us  several  small  boats 
aground  on  a  sandbar.  We  knew  the  channel 
was  where  they  were  not,  and  shaping  our  course 
accordingly,  we  went  safely  by.  They  saw  our  in- 
tention, and  taking  advantage  of  the  light  swell  we 
created  as  we  passed  them,  the  nearest  ones  crowded 
on  all  steam  and  were  lifted  off  the  bar.  Now,  when 
in  life's  stream  you  are  stranded  on  some  bar  of 
temptation,  no  matter  what  it  is  that  makes  a  swell, 
if  it  is  only  an  inch  under  your  keel,  put  on  all 
steam  and  swing  off  into  the  current.  0,  what  joy 
to  glide  down  the  river  between  green  and  flowery 
banks,  and  to  know  that  every  hour  is  bringing 
you  nearer  home ! 


272  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

OUR  people,  nomadic  as  the  Arabs,  impetuous  as 
the  Goths  and  Huns,  pour  themselves  along  our 
Western  border,  carrying  with  them  all  their  wealth 
and  all  their  institutions.  They  drive  schools  along 
with  them  as  shepherds  drive  sheep,  and  troops  of 
colleges  go  lowing  over  the  Western  plains,  like 
Jacob's  kine. 

WHEN  I  lived  at  the  West,  and  preached  some- 
times every  day  and  evening  in  the  week,  in  order 
to  rest  myself,  upon  my  return  home,  I  often  took 
up  some  botanical  work  and  studied  it,  and  in  this 
way  made  myself  acquainted  with  the  history  and 
cultivation  of  many  plants  which  I  had  never  seen. 
I  even  became  a  horticultural  editor,  and  wrote  fa- 
miliarly of  flowers  which  were  known  to  me  only 
through  the  botanist's  description.  When  I  came 
East,  and  went  into  a  hothouse,  I  had  to  ask  the 
names  of  the  rarer  plants,  for  I  had  never  had  their 
seeds,  nor  seen  them  growing  in  my  garden.  One 
flower  particularly  attracted  my  attention,  and  I 
said  to  the  gardener, 

"What  is  fliis?-" 

"  A  Marie  Louise." 

"  But  I  do  not  know  of  what  family  it  is." 

He  looked  at  me  incredulously,  for  he  had  taken 
my  paper,  and  supposed  me  learned  in  horticulture, 
as  he  answered, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.     .  273 

"  It  is  a  cineraria,  sir." 

Now,  there  are  many  Christians  who  can  talk 
learnedly  of  faith  and  humility,  but  who  have  never 
had  them  as  seeds  in  their  heart's  garden,  much 
less  as  perfect  flowers,  and  who  know  so  little  of 
their  real  nature,  that  when  they  see  them  blooming 
in  some  rich  Christian  heart,  they  have  to  ask  their 
names  before  they  can  recognize  them. 


THERE  is  no  faculty  of  the  human  soul  so  persist- 
ent and  universal  as  that  of  hatred.  There  are 
hatreds  of  race ;  hatreds  of  sect ;  social  and  per- 
sonal hatreds.  If  thoughts  of  hatred  were  thunder 
and  lightning,  there  would  be  a  storm  over  the 
whole  earth  all  the  year  round.  Twenty  people 
cannot  be  together,  but  some  one  suffers  from  their 
conversation.  Let  a  man  come  into  the  company 
who  from  some  cause  is  obnoxious  to  them,  and  no 
sooner  does  he  depart  than  the  ill-smelling  flowers 
of  hatred  swell  their  buds,  and  give  forth  their  ma- 
lign influences  through  the  room.  Towards  many 
people  we  live  in  a  state  of  negative  dislike,  which 
requires  only  a  spark  to  kindle  into  a  positive  flame 
of  hatred.  Now  of  all  this  Christ  says/"  Ye  have 
heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy,  but  I  say  unto  you, 


274  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

love  your  enemies."  "  Is  there  not  an  error  in  that 
translation  ?  "  you  say,  for  when  the  Bible  reads  as 
people  do  not  wish  it  to,  they  think  there  is  some 
mistake  in  the  Greek.  No,  there  is  no  error  in  the 
.translation.  "But  it -only  means  that  we  should 
feel  kindly  towards  them,  and  let  them  alone." 
Not  at  all.  "  Bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good 
to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you ;  that  ye 
may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven ;  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil 
and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and 
on  the  unjust."  You  must  not  only  chain  these 
thoughts  of  hatred  and  put  them  down  into  the  dun- 
geon, but  you  must  call  up  a  choir  of  sweet  singers 
in  their  places.  Every  time  your  enemy  fires  a 
curse,  you  must  fire  a  blessing,  and  so  you  are  to 
bombard  back  and  forth  with  this  kind  of  artillery. 
The  mother  grace  of  all  the  graces  is  Christian  good 
will. 

THE  pulpit  should  be  like  the  key-board  of  an 
organ,  and  the  church  like  the  pipes.  It  is  my 
business  to  press  down  the  keys  here,  and  it  is  yours 
to  respond  out  there.  Christian  life  ought  to  be  so 
exhibitory  that  when  you  look  at  a  Christian  you 
will  know  what  God's  truth  is.  If  one  comes  to 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  275 

me  and  asks  the  meaning  of  faith,  and  humility, 
and  charity,  I  ought  to  be  able  to  point  to  one  man 
and  say,  "  There  is  faith,"  and  to  another,  "  There 
is  humility,"  and  so  on  through  all  the  church  and 
all  the  graces.  Christ's  kingdom  will  not  come 
until  his  disciples  are  such  "  living  epistles,  known 
and  read  of  all  men." 


I  BELIEVE  there  are  many  in  this  congregation 
who  wake  every  morning  to  pray,  and  who  never 
let  the  evening  shadows  go  without  perfuming  them 
witli  their  grateful  thanks  for  the  mercies  of  the 
day  ;  who  study  their  Bibles  more  than  many  pro- 
fessing Christians  ;  and  who  believe  that  the  life  they 
now  live  is  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  but  who  yet 
do  not  wish  to  have  it  known,  and  shrink  from  join- 
ing the  church,  and  making  a  public  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  debt  they  owe  to  Christ.  They  mean 
to  be  Christians,  but  not  to  avow  themselves  such. 
Thus  they  will  leave  the  world  to  suppose  that  their 
manifest  virtues  are  self-cultured,  and  that  Chris, 
tian  lives  may  be  led  without  Christ. 

If  I  were  a  pnpil  of  Titian,  and  he  should  de. 
sign  my  picture,  and  sketch  it  for  me,  and  look 
over  my  work  every  day  and  make  suggestions^ 
and  then,  when  I  had  exhausted  my  skill,  he 


276  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

should  take  the  brush  aud  give  the  finishing  touches, 
bringing  out  a  part  here  and  there,  and. making  the 
whole  glow  with  beauty,  and  then  I  should  hang  it 
upon  the  wall  and  call  it  mine,  what  a  meanness  it 
would  be  !  When  life  is  the  picture,  and  Christ  is 
the  designer  and  master,  what  greater  meanness  is 
it  to  allow  all  the  excellences  to  be  attributed  to 
ourselves ! 

The  engineer  of  an  express  train  sees,  just  ahead, 
a  switch  wrongly  turned,  and  knows  that  if  he  can- 
not stop  the  train  it  will  go  over  the  bank  and  be 
whelmed  in  instant  destruction.  The  conductor 
jumps  out,  and  the  passengers  after  him,  and  run 
away  across  the  fields ;  but  the  bold  engineer  re- 
solves to  share  the  fate  of  the  engine.  Speedily  he 
reverses  the  action,  and  with  all  his  strength  rolls 
back  the  wheels.  Just  as  the  fatal  point  is  reached, 
they  cease  to  move,  and,  the  train  is  saved  !  What 
meanness  would  it  be,  when,  unharmed,  they  reach 
the  town,  for  the  conductor  to  say,  "  We  were  in 
great  danger,  but  by  my  presence  of  mind  I  saved 
the  train."  Yet  what  greater  meanness  is  it  for  us 
to  take  the  credit  to  ourselves,  when  Christ  saves 
us  from  the  perils  which  lie  in  our  way  to  eternity ! 

People  sometimes  say,  "  I  am  not  a  church  mem- 
ber, but  I  am  a  better  man  than  Mr.  A,  or  Mr.  B, 
who  is."  Perhaps  you  are  ;  but  it  is  Christ,  through 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  277 

the  minister  and  the  church,  who  has  made  you  so. 
God's  influences  come  in  upon  you  in  mighty  tides, 
and  purify  your  life,  and  you  have  no  right  to  claim 
for  yourself  the  graces  which  belong  to  Christ. 


A  MAN  might  frame  and  let  loose  a  star  to  roll  in 
its  orbit,  and  yet  not  have  done  so  memorable  a 
thing  before  God,  as  he  who  lets  go  a  golden-orbed 
thought  to  roll  through  the  generations  of  time. 


Do  you  ask,  "  Why  not  do  away  with  the  church, 
if  its  members  make  so  many  mistakes  ?  "  Would 
you  take  away  the  lighthouse  because  careless  mari- 
ners, through  wrong  observations,  run  their  ships 
high  and  dry  upon  the  shore  ?  Would  you  put  out 
the  lamp  in  your  house  because  moths  and  millers 
burn  their  wings  in  it  ?  What  would  the  children 
do?  

IT  would  be  a  dreadful  thing  to  me  to  lose  my 
sight ;  to  see  no  more  the  faces  of  those  I  love,  nor 
the  sweet  blue  of  heaven,  nor  the  myriad  stars  that 
gem  the  sky,  nor  the  dissolving  clouds  that  pass 
over  it,  nor  the  battling  ships  upon  the  sea,  nor  the 
mountains  with  their  changing  lines  of  light  and 
24 


278  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

shade,  nor  the  loveliness  of  flowers,  nor  the  burn- 
ished mail  of  insects.  But  I  should  do  as  other  blind 
men  have  done  before  me ;  I  should  take  God's  rod 
and  staff  for  my  guide  and  comfort,  and  wait  pa- 
tiently for  death  to  bring  better  light  to  nobler  eyes. 
O  ye  who  are  living  in  the  darkness  of  sin  !  turn 
before  it  is  too  late  to  the  light  of  holiness,  else  death 
will  bring  to  you,  not  recreation,  but  retribution. 
Earthly  blindness  can  be  borne, .for  it  is  but  for  a 
day ;  but  who  could  bear  to  be  blind  through  eternity  ? 


As  birds  in  the  hour  of  transmigration  feel  the 
impulse  of  southern  lands,  and  gladly  spread  their 
wings  for  the  realm  of  light  and  bloom,  so  may  we, 
in  the  death  hour,  feel  the  sweet  solicitations  of  the 
life  beyond,  and  joyfully  soar  from  the  chill  and 
shadow  of  earth  to  fold  our  wings  and  sing  in  the 
summer  of  an  eternal  heaven  ! 


IT  is  a  part  of  our  physiological  nature  that  in 
order  to  the  healthful  development  of  our  moral 
faculties,  they  must  be  placed  highest,  else  they  can 
no  more  flourish  than  could  a  plant  growing  under 
the  shade  and  drip  of  trees.  But  most  men  make 
no  provision  for  these  faculties.  Like  a  lighthouse, 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  279 

built  well  from  foundation  upwards,  but  without 
any  placo  for  tlio  lantern,  so  many  men  build  care- 
fully their  lower  natures,  but  never  rear  the  highest 
story.  As  a  musical  instrument  might  have  the  base 
and  tenor  very  well  tuned  and  concordant,  while, 
if  you  ran  your  fingers  over  the  higher  notes  all 
would  be  clash  and  jargon ,  so  men  say,  "  I  must 
compose  aird  harmonize  myself  to  natural  laws  for 
the  sake  of  health,"  and  thus  they  tune  the  base  ; 
and  then  they  say,  "  I  must  have  peace  at  home, 
and  peace  in  my  neighborhood,"  and  so  they  regu- 
late their  social  affections  ;  and  there  are  lofty  flights 
of  reason,  and  imagination,  and  art,  and  poetry, 
and  music,  and  thus  they  tune  the  tenor  ;  but  when 
they  come  to  the  highest  notes,  which  were  meant 
to  be  sweet  to  the  ear  of  God,  there  is  neither  regu- 
larity nor  concordance.  All  is  void,  vast,  and  mys- 
terious in  their  moral  nature. 


*  IT  does  my  soul  good  to  hear  from  you  such 
cheerful  testimony  to  the  value  of  Christ's  presence 
and  blessing  in  affliction.  At  night,  when  a  railroad 
train,  having  stopped  at  a  station,  is  about  to  start 

*  At  a  church  prayer  meeting,  where  many  had  expressed  their 
gratitude  for  God's  sustaining  grace  in  trial. 


280          .  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

again,  in  order  that  the  conductor  may  know  that 
every  thing  is  as  it  should  be,  the  brakeman  on 
the  last  car  calls  out  through  the  darkness,  "  All 
right  here ! "  and  the  next  man  takes  up  the 
word,  "  All  right  here  ! "  and  the  next  echoes, 
"  All  right  here !  "  and  so  it  passes  along  the 
line,  and  the  train  moves  on.  It  does  me  good 
to  sit  here  while  you  speak  of  the  life  you  are  guid- 
ing through  the  world's  darkness,  and  pass  the  word 
from  one  to  another,  "  All  right  here  ! "  All  is 
right  every  where  when  the  heart  is  right. 


THERE  never  was  a  ray  of  starlight  in  the  Mam- 
moth Cave  of  Kentucky ;  only  the  red  glare  of 
torches  ever  lights  its  walls.  So  there  are  many 
men  whose  minds  are  Mammoth  Caves,  all  under- 
ground, and  unlighted,  save  by  the  torches  of  self- 
ishness and  passion. 


"  THESE  troublesome  vines,"  exclaims  the  vintner, 
"why  can  they  not  grow  upright  like  bushes?" 
And  one  man  comes  to  him  and  says,  "  It  is  all 
because  you  have  tied  them  to  oak  stakes.  If 
you  will  get  cedar  stakes  you  will  have  no  diffi- 
culty." The  vintner  goes  to  the  forest  for  cedar 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  281 

stakes,  but  still  the  vines  creep  and  cling.  Another 
man  says,  "  Cedar  stakes  are  not  good  ;  yon  must 
have  hickory ;  "  and  he  gets  hickory,  but  the  vines 
clasp  them  also.  Another  man  says,  "  It  is  not 
hickory,  but  chestnut  stakes  that  you  need  ;  "  and 
so  he  gets  chestnut  stakes,  but  it  is  all  the  same  to 
the  vines.  At  length  there  comes  a  man  who  says, 
"  Your  course  is  wrong  from  beginning  to  end.  If 
you  will  throw  away  all- your  stakes,  and  stop  your 
training,  and  leave  the  vines  to  nature,  you  will 
have  none  of  these  clambering,  wild-roaming,  em- 
bracing ways."  So  the  vintner  pulls  up  the  stakes, 
and  clears  the  piles  of  timber  from  the  ground,  and 
leaves  the  vines  unpropped.  And  now  do  they 
grow  upright,  and  cease  to  throw  out  tendrils  and 
clasping  rings  ?  No.  It  is  their  nature  to  cling  to 
something ;  and  if  you  will  not  give  them  help  to 
climb  upward,  they  will  not  on  that  account  cease 
to  reach  out,  but  will  spread  all  over  the  ground, 
clasping  cold  stones,  and  embracing  every  worthless 
stick,  and  the  very  grass. 

Now,  our  religious  nature,  like  the  vine,  must 
have  something  to  cling  to ;  and  one  man  says, 
"  The  Brahminical  system  is  as  good  as  the  Chris- 
tian ;  "  and  another  says,  "  The  old  Greek  mythol- 
ogy is  better  than  either ; "  and  another  says, 
"  Catholicism  is  preferable  to  the  Protestant  form 
24* 


282  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

of  Christianity ; "  and  then  comes  a  man  who  de- 
clares that  all  systems  are  extraneous  and  hurtful, 
and  that  if  we  were  left  to  grow  up  unprejudiced, 
with  the  light  and  laws  of  nature,  such  a  thing  as 
a  religious  system  would  never  be  known  nor  needed. 
"  First,"  he  says,  "  the  nurse  befools  the  child,  and 
then  the  mother  takes  him,  and  then  the  priest  and 
the  church  ;  and  so  he  is  educated  to  false  views  from 
the  beginning."  The  truth  of  the  matter  is  this  : 
Religious  systems  do  not  create  the  religious  nature 
in  man.  The  religious  nature  itself,  craving  and 
longing  for  development,  creates  both  the  systems 
and  the  priests  who  minister  in  them.  The  heart, 
with  its  thousand  tendrils,  reaches  forth  to  God, 
and  in  its  reaching  clasps  whatever  it  may. 

A  student,  annoyed  by  the  notes  of  the  canary 
bird  in  his  window,  says,  "  It  is  the  robin  in  the 
opposite  cage  that  makes  the  canary  sing,"  and  so 
he  takes  the  robin  away  ;  but  still  the  song  goes 
on.  It  was  not  its  companion  that  made  it  call, 
but  something  yearning  out  of  its  own  little  bosom ; 
and  because  of  this  yearning,  whether  alone  or  with 
its  mates,  in  summer  or  winter,  in  light  or  darkness, 
it  still  will  sing.  So  the  heart  yearns  and  calls  for 
God;  not  because  of  outward  solicitation,  but  be- 
cause of  the  lonjring,  the  want  it  feels  within.  No 
difference  of  teachers  or  systems  can  change  this 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  283 

nature  of  the  soul.  The  ocean  is  the  same,  what- 
ever craft  sail  up  and  down  upon  it,  whether  they 
be  pleasure  boats,  brigs,  merchant  ships,  pirates,  or 
men-of-war  ;  so  whatever  religious  navigators  may 
be  going  up  and  down  the  sea  of  life,  its  depths,  and 
shores,  and  distant  haven  remain  the  same.  The 
stars  never  change  for  astrologers  or  astronomers. 
They  roll  calmly  above  storms  and  above  opinions. 
So  man's  nature  does  not  vary  for  circumstances, 
or  conflicting  views,  but  still  wants  God  above,  and 
fellow-man  belo^r. 

Many  of  you  are  ashamed  of  these  cravings. 
You  know  that  you  are  never  satisfied  ;  that  at 
every  achievement  your^soul  cries  out  for  some- 
thing more  ;  but  you  will  not  acknowledge  that 
these  outreachings  are  homesicknesses  for  God.  I 
know  you  will  not  bear  to  be  told  this  directly,  and 
so,  being  crafty,  I  catch  you  with  guile ;  and  some- 
times by  memories  of  childhood,  and  sometimes  by 
perils  of  manhood,  sometimes  by  love,  and  some- 
times by  fear,  I  seek,  to  gain  your  attention,  and  to 
show  you  that  your  great  want  is  God.  There  are 
bells  in  your  soul  which  God  has  hung,  and  which 
were  meant  to  sound  forth  his  praise  but  you  say, 
"No  ;  there  shall  be  no  chime  ;"  and  you  cut  off 
the  ropes,  so  that  they  cannot  be  rung.  If  I  can 
I  will  steal  up  to  the  belfry,  and  with  good  blows 


284  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

will  make  them  speak ;  and  if  that  is  not  permitted, 
I  will  yet  throw  up  words  from  without,  as  boys 
cast  stones,  to  strike  the  mute  bells  and  arouse  their 
echoes. 

Many  will  say,  "  I  can  find  God  without  the  help 
of  Bible,  or  church,  or  minister."  Very  well.  Do 
so  if  you  can.  The  Ferry  Company  would  feel^no 
jealousy  of  a  man  who  should  prefer  to  swim  to 
New  York.  Let  him  do  so,  if  he  is  able,  and  we 
will  talk  about  it  on  the  other  shore  ;  but  probably 
trying  to  swim  would  be  the  thing  that  would  bring 
him  quickest  to  the  boat.  So  God  would  have  no 
jealousy  of  a  man's  going  to  heaven  without  the  aid 
of  Bible,  or  church,  or  minister  ;  but  let  him- try  to 
do  so,  and  it  will  be  the  surest  way  to  bring  him 
back  to  them  for  assistance. 

However  various  our  wants  may  seem,  what  we 
all  need  is  God.  He  has  given  us  the  earth  for 
our  body,  but  he  himself  is  the  soil  in  which  our 
souls  must  root ;  the  eternal  help,  the  source  of  suc- 
cor and  all  supply,  the  bread  of  life,  and  the  water 
of  life.  Feeding  upon  him,  we  shall  hunger  no 
more,  neither  thirst  any  more,  but  be  satisfied. 


A  SHIP  that  has  been  driven  by  wave  and  tem- 
pest far  up  on  the  beach,  where  no  tide  can  ever 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  285 

come  to  lift  her  off,  but  that  lies  there,  high  and 
dry,  seams  gaping,  sails  rotting,  spars  falling,  hated 
of  earth  and  driven  out  from  the  water,  is  not  half  so 
pitiable  an  object  as  a  great  man  who  by  policy, 
policy,  policy,  has  been  carried  out  of  the  deep 
channels  of  honor  and  lies  all  awreck  upon  the  shore 
of  good  men's  opinions. 


IF  I  had  been  made  a  firefly,  it  would  not  become 
me  to  say,  "  If  God  had  only  made  me  a  star,  to 
shine  always,  then  I  would  shine."  It  is  my  duty, 
if  I  am  a  firefly,  to  fly  a*nd  sparkle,  and  fly  and 
sparkle  ;  not  to  shut  my  wings  down  over  my  phos- 
phorescent self,  because  God  did  not  make  me  a  sun 
or  a  star. 


THE  tides  come  twice  a  day  in  New  York  harbor, 
but  they  only  come  once  in  icven  days  in  God's 
harbor  of  the  sanctuary.  They  rise  on  Sunday,  but 
ebb  Monday,  and  are  down  and  out  all  the  rest  of 
the  week.  Men  write  over  their  store  door,  "  Busi- 
ness is  business,"  and  over  the  church  door,  "  Re- 
ligion is  religion,"  and  they  say  to  religion,  "  Never 
come  in  here,"  and  to  business,  "  Never  go  in  there." 
"  Let  us  have  no  secular  things  in  the  pulpit,"  they 


286  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

say ;  "  we  get  enough  of  them  through  the  week  in 
New  York.  There  all  is  stringent  and  biting  self- 
ishness, and  knives,  and  probes,  and  lancets,  and 
hurry,  and  work,  and  worry.  Here  we  want  repose, 
and  sedatives,  and  healing  balm.  All  is  prose  over 
there  ;  here  let  us  have  poetry.  We  want  to  sing 
hymns  and  to  hear  about  heaven  and  Calvary ;  in 
short,  we  want  the  pure  gospel,  without  any  worldly 
intermixture."  And  so  they  desire  to  spend  a 
pious,  quiet  Sabbath,  *  full  of  pleasant  imaginings 
and  peaceful  reflections ;  but  when  the  day  is  gone, 
all  is  laid  aside.  They  will  take  by  the  throat  the 
first  debtor  whom  they  meet,  and  exclaim,  "  Pay 
me  what  thou  owest !  It  is  Monday."  And  when 
the  minister  ventures  to  hint  to  them  something 
about  their  duty  to  their  fellow-men,  they  say,  "  0 
you  stick  to  your  preaching.  You  do  not  know  how 
to  collect  your  own  debts,  and  cannot  tell  what  a 
man  may  have  to  do  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
world."  God's  law  is  not  allowed  to  go  into  the 
week.  If  the  merchant  spies  it  in  his  store,  he 
throws  it  over  the  counter.  If  the  clerk  sees  it 
in  the  bank,  he  kicks  it  out  at  the  door.  If  it  is 
found  in  the  street,  the  multitude  pursue  it,  pelting 
it  with  stones,  as  if  it  were  a  wolf  escaped  from  a 
menagerie,  and  shouting,  "  Back  with  you !  You 


LIFE    THOUGHTS.  287 

have  got  out  of  Sunday!"  There  is  no  religion 
in  all  this.  It  is  mere  sentimentalism.  Religion 
belongs  to  every  day;  to  the  place  of  business  as 
much  as  to  the  church. 

High  in  an  ancient  belfry  there  is  a  clock,  and 
once  a  week  the  old  sexton  winds  it  up ;  but  it  has 
neither  dial  plate  nor  hands.  The  pendulum  swings, 
and  there  it  goes,  ticking,  ticking,  day  in  and  day 
out,  unnoticed  and  useless.  What  the  old  clock  is, 
in  its  dark  chamber,  keeping  time  to  itself,  but  never 
showing  it,  that  is  the  mere  sentimentality  of  reli- 
gion, high  above  life,  in  the  region  of  airy  thought ; 
perched  up  in  the  top  of  Sunday,  but  without  dial 
or  pointer  to  let  the  week  know  what  o'clock  it  is, 
of  Time,  or  of  Eternity  ! 


MANY  persons  hang  themselves  on  some  crotchet 
or  text  in  the  closet,  as  a  pot  is  hung  over  a  slow 
fire,  simmering  and  waiting  to  boil.  They  heap  up 
their  experiences  for  fuel,  and  wait  for  the  time  to 
come  when  they  shall  be  so  heated  that  they  shall 
boil  over  in  prayer.  This  may  sometimes  be  a  prof- 
itable religious  exercise,  but  those  who  practise  it 
should  not  deem  it  the  only  one,  and  make  it  tyr- 
annize over  all  the  rest 


288  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

EVERY  man  in  a  Christian  church  ought  to  feel 
that  he  uses  the  power  of  the  whole,  yet  never  so  as 
to  take  away  from  him.  the  need  of  individual  exer- 
tion. *  If  we  have  experience,  any  brother  has  a 
right  to  come  to  us  and  say,  "  Put  your  experience, 
as  a  bridge,  over  that  stream  which  I  must  cross. 
I  want  timber  there  to  walk  on." 


MEN  secrete  their  religious  life  through  shame, 
or  fear  of  criticism,  or  morbid  sensibility ;  but  no 
man  can  be  a  Christian  without  being  luminous. 
A  man  may  carry  his  faith  so  guardedly  that  no 
one  shall  suspect  that  he  is  a  Christian ;  but  the 
worst  of  this  is,  that  God  never  suspects  it  either,  and 
forgets  to  write  down  his  name  in  the  Book  of  Life. 


A  MAN'S  house  should  be  on  the  hill-top  of  cheer- 
fulness and  serenity,  so  high  that  no  shadows  rest 
upon  it,  and  where  the  morning  comes  so  early,  and 
the  evening  tarries  so  late,  that  the  day  has  twice 
as  many  golden  hours  as  those  of  other  men.  He 
is  to  be  pitied  whose  house  is  in  some  valley  of  grief 
between  the  hills,  with  the  longest  night  and  the 
shortest  day.  Home  should  be  the  centre  of  joy, 
equatorial  and  tropical. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  289 

THE  whole  force  of  life  and  experience  goes  to 
prove  that  right  or  wrong  doing,  whether  in  relation 
to  the  physical  or  the  spiritual  nature,  is  sure,  in 
the  end,  to  meet  its  appropriate  reward  or  punish- 
ment. Penalties  are  often  so  long  delayed,  that 
men  think  they  shall  escape  them  ;  but  some  time 
they  are  certain  to  follow.  When  the  whirlwind 
sweeps  through  the  forest,  at  its  first  breath,  or  al- 
most as  if  the  fearful  stillness  that  precedes  had 
crushed  it,  the  giant  tree  with  all  its  boughs  falls, 
crashing,  to  the  ground.  But  it  had  been  preparing 
to  fall  for  twenty  years.  Twenty  years  before  it 
had  received  a  gash.  Twenty  years  before  the  water 
commenced  to  settle  in  at  some  crotch,  and  from 
thence  decay  began  to  reach  in  witli  its  silent  fingers 
towards  the  heart  of  the  tree.  Every  year  the  work 
of  death  progressed,  till  at  length  it  stood,  all  rotten- 
ness, only  clasped  about  by  the  bark  with  a  semblance 
of  life,  and  the  first  gale  felled  it  to  the  ground. 
Now,  there  are  men  who  for  twenty  years  have 
shamed  the  day  and  wearied  the  night  with  their 
debaucheries,  but  who  yet  seem  strong  and  vigor- 
ous, and  exclaim,  "  You  need  not  talk  of  penalties. 
Look  at  me!  I  have  revelled  in  pleasure  for 
twenty  years,  and  I  am  as  hale  and  hearty  to-day 
as  ever."  But  in  reality  they  are  full  of  weakness 
and  decay.  They  have  been  preparing  to  fall  for 
25 


290  LIFE    THOUGHTS. 

twenty  years,  and   the  first   disease  strikes  them 
down  in  a  moment. 

Ascending  from  the  physical  nature  of  man  to 
the  mind  and  character,  we  find  the  same  laws  pre- 
vail. People  sometimes  say,  "  Dishonesty  is  as  good 
as  honesty,  for  aught  I  see.  There  are  such  and 
such  men  who  have  pursued  for  years  the  most  cor- 
rupt courses  in  their  business,  and  yet  they  prosper, 
and  are  getting  rich  every  day."  Wait  till  you  see 
their  end.  Every  year  how  many  such  men  are 
overtaken  with  sudden  destruction,  and  swept  for- 
ever out  of  sight  and  remembrance!  Many  a  man 
has  gone  on  in  sin,  practising  secret  frauds  and  vil- 
lanies,  yet  trusted  and  honored,  till  at  length,  in 
some  unsuspected  hour,  he  is  detected,  and,  de- 
nounced by  the  world,  he  falls  from  his  high  estate 
as  if  a  cannon  ball  had  struck  him,  —  for  there  is  no 
cannon  that  can  strike  more  fatally  than  outraged 
public  sentiment,  —  and  flies  over  the  mounfitins,  or 
across  the  sea,  to  escape  the  odium  of  his  life.  He 
believed  that  his  evil  course  was  building  him  up  in 
fame  and  fortune ;  but  financiering  is  the  devil's 
forge,  and  his  every  act  was  a  blow  upon  the  anvil 
,  shaping  the  dagger  that  should  one  day  strike  home 
to  his  heart  and  make  him  a  suicide.  The  pea  con- 
tains the  vine,  aud  the  flower,  and  the  pod,  in  em- 
bryo, and  I  am  sure,  when  I  plant  it,  that  it  will 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  291 

produce  them  and  nothing  else.  Now,  every  action 
of  our  lives  is  embryonic,  and  according  as  it  is 
right  or  wrong,  it  will  surely  bring  forth  the  sweet 
flowers  of  joy,  or  the  poison  fruits  of  sorrow.  Such 
is  the  constitution  of  this  world,  and  the  Bible  as- 
sures us  that  the  next  world  only  carries  it  forward. 
Here  and  hereafter,  "  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap." 

The  young  sometimes  say,  "  By  and  by  we  mean 
to  separate  the  evil  from  the  good,  and  to  be- 
come religious  ;  but  first  we  wish  a.  little  liberty 
for  enjoyment."  At  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
where  it  pours  its  immense  flood  into  the*  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  how  impossible  would  it  be  to  stay 
the  flow  of  its  waters,  and  to  separate  from  each 
other  the  drops  of  the  various  streams  that  have 
poured  into  it  on  either  side  —  of  the  Red  River, 
the  Arkansas,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Missouri ;  or  to 
sift  grain  by  grain  from  the  detritus,  the  particles 
of  sand  that  have  wasted  from  the  Ozark,  or  the 
Alleghany,  or  the  far  Rocky  Mountains  ;  yet  how 
much  more  impossible  would  it  be,  when  character 
is  the  river,  and  habits,  formed  one  after  another, 
are  the  side  streams,  to  throw  a  little  dam  of  con- 
version across,  and  separate  the  bad  from  the  good ! 
Let  the  stream  run  pure  from  its  source.  What  if 
the  farmer  should  mix  cockles  and  other  vile  weeds 


292  LIFE    THOUGHTS, 

with  the  wheat,  and  say,  "  When  the  grain  is  ripe, 
I  will  go  in  with  sickle,  and  cradle,  and  winnowing 
machine,  and  separate  them."  Would  it  not  be  easier 
to  sow  clean  wheat  than  to  cleanse  dirty  wheat  ? 
You  who  are  young  are  now  at  the  sowing  end  of 
the  harvest  field.  Scatter  only  pure  seed,  that  when 
you  reach  the  reaping  end  you  may  find  no  tares, 
but  only  the  golden  grain. 


WHAT  a  thrifty,  robust  plant  is  the  potato  when 
out  in  the  field  it  grows  beneath  the  sun  !  Its  leaf 
so  coarse  and  green,  its  stem  so  stout  and  succulent, 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  look  upon  a  thing  which  seems  so 
to  take  hold  of  all  the  elements  of  life.  But  when 
it  has  sprouted  in  the  cellar,  which  has  but  one 
north  window,  half  closed,  it  is  a  poor,  cadaverous, 
etiolated,  melancholy  vine,  growing  up  to  that  little 
flicker  of  light ;  sickly,  blanched,  and  brittle. 

Like  the  cellar-growing  vine  is  the  Christian  who 
lives  in  the  darkness  and  bondage  of  fear.  But  let 
him  go  forth,  with  the  liberty  of  God,  into  the  light 
of  love,  and  he  will  be  like  the  plant  in  the  field, 
healthy,  robust,  and  joyful. 


As  the  pilot  boats  cruise  far  out,  watching  for 
every  whitening  sail,  and  hover  through  day  and 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  293 

night,  all  about  the  harbor,  vigilant  to  board  every 
ship,  that  they  may  bring  safely  through  the  Nar- 
rows all  the  wanderers  of  the  ocean,  so  should  we 
watch  off  the  gate  of  Salvation,  for  all  the  souls, 
tempest  tossed,  beating  in  from  the  sea  of  Sin,  and 
guide  them  through  the  perilous  straits,  that  at  last, 
in  still  waters,  they  may  cast  the  anchor  of  their 
hope. 

A  FATHER,  with  his  little  son,  is  journeying  over- 
land to  California,  and  when  at  night  he  pitches  his 
tent  in  some  pleasant  valley,  the  child  is  charmed 
with  the  spot,  and  begs  his  father  to  rear  a  house 
and  remain  there ;  and  he  begins  to  make  a  little 
fence  about  the  tent,  and  digs  up  the  wild  flowers 
and  plants  them  within  the  enclosure.  But  the 
father  says,  "  No,  my  son.  Our  home  is  far  distant. 
Let  these  things  go,  for  to-morrow  we  must  depart." 
Now,  God  is  taking  us,  his  children,  as  pilgrims  and 
strangers,  homeward ;  but  we  desire  to  build  here, 
and  must  be  often  overthrown  before  we  can  learn 
to  seek  "  the  city  that  hath  foundations,  whose 
Builder  and  Maker  is  God." 


THE  sweetest  music  is  not  the  peal  of  marriage 
bells,  nor  tender  descants  in  moonlight  woods,  nor 
25* 


294  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

» 

trumpet  nptes  of  victory  —  it  is  the  soul's  welcome 
to  heaven.  God  grant  that  when  we  die  there  may 
not  come  booming  to  our  ear  the  dreadful  sound, 
"  Depart !  "  but  may  we  hear,  stealing  upon  the  air, 
the  mellow  chime  of  all  the  celestial  bells,  saying, 
"  Come,  come,  come,  ye  blessed,  enter  ye  into  the 
joy  of  your  Lord !  " 


THERE  is  no  tyranny  more  intolerable  than  a  con- 
science unrestrained  by  love.  Like  an  ill-loaded 
gun,  it  recoils  at  the  breech  and  kills  at  the  muzzle. 
A  conscience  unsubdued  by  love  torments  the  owner, 
and  bruises  those  upon  whom  he  lets  it  loose. 


TAKE  a  sharp-cut  young  saint,  just  crystallized,  as 
many-pointed  and  as  clear  as"  a  diamond,  and  how 
good  he  is !  how  decided  for  the  right,  and  how  ab- 
horrent of  wrong !  He  abhors  evil  rather  than  loves 
good.  He  has  not  yet  attained  to  the  meekness  and 
gentleness  of  Christ.  But  years  will  teach  him 
that  love  is  more  just  than  justice  ;  that  compas- 
sion will  cure  more  sins  than  condemnation ;  and 
that  summer  will  do  more-,  with  silent  warmth,  to 
redeem  the  earth  from  barrenness,  than  winter  can, 
with  all  the  majesty  of  storms  .and  the  irresistible 
power  of  her  icy  hand. 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  295 

WHEN  we  receive  a  grace,  it  is  not  because  God, 
out  of  his  infinite  stores,  takes  a  grace  and  hands  it 
down  to  us,  but  because  it  is  produced''  in  our  life. 
As  pictures  are  slid  into  a  magic  lantern,  and  then 
reflected  upon  a  wall,  so  many  people  think  God 
slides  graces  into  the  heart,  and  that  the  man's  life 
only  reflects  them.  But  graces  are  not  interjected 
pictures.  Their  forms  and  colors  are  the  substance 
of  the  heart.  The  engineer  does  not  bring  the  jour- 
ney to  the  locomotive ;  the  locomotive  produces  it. 
When  a  watch  is  rightly  constructed,  God  does  not 
put  time  into  it  hour  by  hour  ;  the  regular  working 
of  the  machinery,  so  far  as  the  watch  is  concerned, 
makes  and  marks  the  time.  Now,  religion,  the  sum 
of  the  graces,  is  making  the  right  journey  heaven- 
ward—keeping time  to  God. 


MORALITY  must  always  precede  and  accompany 
religion,  and  yet  religion  is  much  more  than  moral- 
ity. You  buy  a  camellia,  and  determine,  in  spite 
of  florists,  to  make  it  blossom  in  your  parlor.  You 
watch  and  tend  it,  and  at  length  the  buds  appear. 
Day  by  day  you  see  them  swell,  and  fondly  hope 
they  will  come  to  perfect  flower ;  but  just  as  they 
should  open,  one  after  another  they  drop  off;  and 
you  look  at  it,  despairingly  exclaiming,  "  All  is  over 


296  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

for  this  year !  "  But  I  say,  "  What !  the  plant  is 
thrifty.  Are  not  Japonica  roots,  and  branches,  and 
leaves  good  ?  "  "  Yes,"  you  answer ;  "  but  I  do  not 
care  for  them.  I  bought  it  for  the  blossom."  Now, 
when  we  bring  God  the  roots,  and  branches,  and 
leaves  of  morality,  he  is  not  satisfied.  He  wants 
the  blossoming  of  the  heart ;  and  that  is  religion. 


To  a  Christian  who  has  lived  all  his  life  long  in 
bondage  unto  fear,  not  daring  to  believe  himself  a 
child  of  God,  how  sweet  will  be  the  waking  in 
heaven  !  With  great  dread  and  trembling  he  will 
approach  the  death  hour,  and  go  down  through 
chilling  mists  and  vapors  to  the  unknown  sea.  And 
when  upon  the  other  shore  sweet  strains  come 
to  his  ear,  he  will  not  understand  them ;  but  fair 
form  after  fair  form  will  appear  to  greet  him,  and  at 
length,  from  the  impearled  atmosphere,  God's  whole 
band  of  gathering  and  reaping  angels,  more  in 
number  than  the  autumn  leaves  out-streaming  from 
the  forest  when  there  are  bursts  of  wind,  will  come 
forth,  filling  all  the  air  with  music,  and  minister 
unto  him  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  heavenly 
kingdom!  It  were  almost  enough  to  make  one's 
heaven,  to  stand  and  see  the  first  wild  stirring  of  joy 
in  the  face,  and  hear  the  first  rapturous  cry  as  they 


LIFE     THOUGHTS,  297 

cross  the  threshold,  of  thousands  of  timid  Christians 
who  lived  weeping  and  died  sighing,  but  who  will 
wake  to  find  every  tear  an  orb  of  joy,  and  every 
sigh  an  inspiration  of  God.  0,  the  wondrous  joy  of 
heaven  to  those  who  did  not  expect  it ! 


A  CHILD  lies  in  his  little  bed  in  some  high  chamber 
of  an  old  castle,  and  hears  the  tempest  growling  in 
the  chimney,  and  the  prowling  thief-winds  at  the 
window,  and  the  scream  of  the  spirits  of  the  air. 
The  storm  rocks  the  walls  and  beats  upon  the  roof, 
and  he  shudders,  and  covers  his  head,  and  expects 
at  every  burst  of  thunder  that  the  castle  will  go 
crashing  to  the  ground.  But  down  in  the  room  be- 
low, his  father  sits  unmoved,  reading  by  the  fire, 
only  now  and  then,  when  the  tempest  swells,  he 
raises  his  spectacles  for  a  moment,  and  exclaims, 
"  God  help  the  poor  wretches  on  the  sea  to-night !  " 
or,  "  I  hope  no  belated  traveller  is  out  m  such  a 
storm  as  this,"  and  then  turns  to  his  book  again. 
In  the  morning  the  child  hardly  dares  to  look  forth 
lest  the  heavens  and  the  earth  have  passed  away; 
but  the  father  only  walks  into  his  garden,  to  see  if 
some  old  tree  has  been  blown  down,  or  some  un- 
propped  vine  fallen  from  the  trellis. 

In   times   of  peril   and   disaster,  the   Christian, 


298  LIFE     THOUGHTS. 

through  his  faith  and  hope  in  God,  is  like  the  father 
by  the  fire,  while  he  who  has  no  such  trust  is  tor- 
mented with  fear  and  apprehension,  like  the  child 
in  the  chamber.  Let  him  who  will,  swelter  in  his 
philosophic  anguish  ;  I  will  rest  in  the  serenity  of 
Christian  hope. 

You  pray  for  the  graces  of  faith,  and  hope,  and 
love  ;  but  prayer  alone  will  not  bring  them.  They 
must  be  wrought  in  you  through  labor,  and  patience, 
and  suffering. 

A  garden  has  heard  that  the  royal  garden  has  a 
fountain,  and  sends  up  a  petition  to  the  head  gar- 
dener that  it  may  have  a  fountain  too.  He  favors 
the  request,  and  comes  with  workmen  and  the  neces- 
sary implements  to  make  it.  The  flower  beds  are 
torn  up,  the  turf  is  cut  and  removed,  the  earth  is 
thrown  out  in  piles,  and  the  astonished  garden  ex- 
claims, "  What  is  this  ?  you  are  killing  all  my  vio- 
lets and  roses."  And  now  the.  boring  commences, 
down  through  the  quicksand  and  the  surface  soil, 
till  a  bed  of  rock  is  gained.  Then,  when  the  severer 
drilling  begins,  the  terrified  garden  cries  out,  "  My 
foundations  will  be  destroyed  !  I  thought  I  was  to 
have  a  fountain."  A  small  stream  of  water  appears, 
but  the  gardener  knows  it  would  not  always  flow, 
and  so  he  penetrates  the  earth  yet  farther,  till  at 


LIFE     THOUGHTS.  299 

last,  hundreds  of  feet  below  the  surface,  he  reaches 
unfailing  springs.  Now  the  pipes  are  brought,  and 
when  they  are  adjusted,  the  earth  is  thrown  back,  the 
stones  are  removed,  the  turf  is  replaced,  the  ground 
is  swept,  and  the  flowers  returned  to  their  beds  ; 
and  day  in  and  day  out  the  fountain  plays,  falling 
into  its  marble  basin  with  ceaseless  shower.  The 
plants  revive  in  its  cooling  spray,  the  birds  come  to 
•sing  to  its  music,  and  the  whole  garden  rejoices  in 
its  beauty.  .• 

Now,  who  is  willing  that  God  should  bore  in  his 
heart  for  the  graces  of  faith,  and  hope,  and  love  ? 
You  pray  for  them,  but  when  God  begins  to  work, 
you  cry  out,  "  0  Lord  !  save  my  flower  beds.  You 
are  killing  all  my  violets  and  roses."  Yet  only 
through  this  working  are  the  wells  of  salvation  dug 
in  our  hearts,  and  the  living  waters  made  to  flow. 


"  Now  abideth  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  these  three  ;  but 
the  greatest  of  these  is  Love,"  for  love  is  the  seraph, 
and  faith  and  hope  are  but  the  wings  by  which  it 
flies. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 


DEC     9 1970 


rai* 

MAR    3  1971 


100m-8,'65(F6282s8)2373 


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THE    NEW    AGE     OF     GOLD;     or,    the    Life   and   Adventures    of   Robert    Dexter 

Romaine.    Written  by  hinvelf.    In  one  volume,  12mo.    Price,  $1.25. 

:  A  beautiful  «tory  of  a  residence  upon  a  tropical  island,  bearing  no  more  resemblance  to  Robinson  Cru- 
soe than  the  circumstances  require.  The  principal  feature  of  novelty  U  the  introduction  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  who  is  the  companion  of  the  shipwrecked  hero  ; — a  very  agreeable  substitute  for  the  uninterest- 
ing savage,  Friday. 

The  style  of  the  w.rk  is  exceedingly  animated,  and  the  author's  sympathy  with  Nature,  in  all  her  forme 
of  beauty,  is  everywhere  apparent. 

EDITH    HALE;    a  New  England  Story.    In  one  volume,  12mo.    Price  $1.25. 

This  is  a  novel  characterized  by  its  truthfulness  of  local  coloring,  both  in  scenery  and  in  manners. 
Without  espousing  any  .w/e,  unless  it  be  the  people's,  it  has  somewhat  to  do  with  the  pastoral  relation, 
after  the  manner  of  "  Sunny  Side  "  and  "  Shady  Side."  But  the  plan  of  the  book  is  new,  and  the  style 
shows  much  of  the  fruits  of  reading. 

MODERN  PILGRIMS ;  showing  the  Improvements  in  Travel,  and  the  Newest 
Methods  of  reaching  the  Celestial  City.  By  GEORGE  WOOD,  author  of  "  Peter  Schlemihl 
in  America."  In  two  volumes,  12mo.  Price  $1.75. 

The  idea  of  this  work  was  suggested  to  the  author  by  the  inimitable  "  Celestial  Railroad  "of  Hawthorne. 
But  in  the  application  of  the  idea  to  the  religious  societies  of  modern  times,  the  author  has  followed  a  path 
of  his  own.    No  description  can  do  the  work  justice.    It  is  full  of  trenchant  satire  upon  life,  manners,  and 
opinions  ;  nnd  at,  the  same  time  it  has  much  of  pathos,  which  cannot  but  awaken  sympathy. 
It  is  proper  to  add,  that  the  author  takes  the  same  stand-point  with  honest  John  Bunyan.  * 

MARGARET  PERCIVAL  IN  AMERICA.  Being  a  Sequel  to  "Margaret  Percival." 
By  REV  E.  E.  HALE.  12mo.,  muslin.  Price,  75  cents. 

"  The  volume  is  nn  interesting  one,  ns  unfolding  the  wide  contrast  between  the  religious  life  of  England 
and  the  United  States,  it  is  written  in  a  style  of  exquisite  beauty,  exhibiting  on  every  page  the  marks 
of  generous  feeling  and  larjre  scholarship.  We  have  read  it  with  great  interest,  and  recognize  its  truthful 
portraits  of  New  England  life."—  Philadelphia  C.  Chronicle. 


PUBLISHED       BT 

PHILLIPS,     SAMPSON     &     CO.,     Boston. 

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MISC 
X 

MARTIN  MERRIVALE,   HIS  *  M.          Q      2106      OOOPP      P1Q7 

trations  and  twenty-two  initial  letters,  '          „          .  \J\J\JC-C-      £.  I  &  I 

Price  $1.50. 


"It  is  a  genuine,  all-sided,  heartsome  book,  with  no  sign  of  consciousness  in  all  its  exquisite  humor, 
eauty,  anil  pathos.  We  have  not  seen  a  better  delineation  of  New  England  rusticity  than  Paul  Creyton's 
Cheesy,'  and  his  '  Step-mother.'" — Ifew-York  Courier  and  Inquirer. 

83"-  A  new  work,  by  Paul  Creyton,  of  great  power  and  originality,  is  in  press. 


SUNNY    SIDE    SERIES. 

A  PEEP  AT  "NUMBER  FIVE;"  or,  a  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  a  City  Pastor.  By  H. 
TRUSTA,  author  of  "  Sunny  Side."  ISino.,  illustrated.  Twenty-fifth  thousand.  Price,  muslin,  50 
cents  j  gilt,  75  cents. 

THE  TELLTALE;  or,  Home  Secrets  told  by  old  Travellers.  By  H.  TKTSTA.  18mo., 
illustrated.  Price,  muslin,  50  cents  ;  gilt,  75  cents. 

THE  LAST  LEAF  FROM  SU1TNT  SIDE.  By  IT.  TRVSTA.  With  a  Memorial  of  the  author, 
by  Rev.  AUSTIN  PHELPS.  Seventeenth  thousand.  18mo.,  with  a  fine  Portrait.  Price,  muslin,  50 
cents  ;  gilt,  75  cents. 

FATHER  BRIQ-HTHOPES;  or,  an  Old  Clergyman's  Vacation.  By  PAUL  CKEYTOJT. 
18mo.  Price,  muslin,  50  cents  ;  muslin,  full  gilt,  75  cents. 

BTJRRCLIFF,  ITS  SUNSHINE  AND  ITS  CLOUDS.  By  PAUL  CREYTON.  18mo.  Price, 
muslin,  50  cents  ;  full  gilt,  75  cents. 

HEARTS  AND  FACES ;  or,  Home  Life  Unveiled.  By  PAUL  CKEYTON.  Price,  muslin,  50 
cents  ;  muslin,  full  gilt,  75  cents. 

IRONTHORPE,  THE  PIONEER  PREACHER.  By  PAUL  CREYTON.  18mo.  Price,  muslin, 
50  cents  ;  full  gilt,  75  cents. 

Few  writers  have  succeeded  in  interesting  so  wide  a  circle  of  readers  as  "  Paul  Creyton."  Although 
his  works  were  designed  for  mature  minds,  yet  such  is  the  purity  and  naturalness  of  his  style,  that  young 
people,  and  even  children,  are  delighted  with  him.  Few  books  published  in  America  have  had  a  greater 
or  more  deserved  popularity  than  the  charming  series  above. 

THE  CITY  SIDE ;  or,  Passages  from  a  Pastor's  Portfolio.  By  CARA  BELMONT.  18mo. 
Price,  muslin,  50  cents  ;  gilt,  75  cents. 


TALES  FOR  THE  MARINES.    By  HARRY  GRINGO  (Lieut.  H.  A.  Wise,  U.  S.  N.),  author  of 
"  Los  Gringos,"  etc.    la  oae  volume,  12mo.    Price  $1.25. 

Of  this  brilliant  Nautical  Novel,  N.  P.  Willis  thus  speaks  in  the  Home  Journal: 

"We  deliberately  believe  that  the  living  writer  who  can  give  the  most  pleasure  in  the  way  of  fun  and 
novelty,  is  Harry  Gringo.  We  think  him  an  unworked  mine  of  a  new  and  peculiarly  intellectual  ore,  — 
a  keen  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  and  subtile  powers  of  analysis  underlying  all  his  sparkling  efferves- 
cence and  wonderful  sense  of  the  ludicrous.  lie  may  have  a  niche  all  to  himself  in  the  temple  of  fame." 

VASSALL  MORTON;  a  Novel.    By  FRANCIS  PARKMAN,  author  of"  The  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac," 
etc.    In  one  volume,  12mo.    Price  $1.25. 

This  story  commences  in  Boston,  and  its  characters  are  those  of  the  present  day.  In  the  course  of  the 
narrative,  the  action  is  transferred  to  Europe  :  and,  in  the  arrest  of  the  hero,  and  his  subsequent  escape 
from  an  Austrian  dungeon,  we  have  one  of  the  most  thrilling  scenes  in  modern  fiction. 


PUBLISHED     BY 
PHILLIPS,    SAMPSON    &    CO.,    Boston, 

And  for  sale  by  all  Booksellers  in  the  United  States. 


